Don't Look Now
by gladrags2012
Summary: An incident within the team leaves their confidence low, then a further blow is struck. Frank calls for help from some old friends. Can everyone pull together to rebuild the team ?
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own any of the MI High characters, I am borrowing them for this story.**

**A frightening event causes a crisis of confidence within the team. The results turn out to be far-reaching.**

Dan sat with Frank outside a hospital room. "She's going to be alright isn't she ?" he asked. He put his head in his hands. "I don't know what happened !"

"Dan, this is not your fault," said Frank. He could see that Dan was feeling guilty for not doing more to protect his team mate. "It could have happened to any of you," he added, glancing at his watch and frowning. "The others should be here by now."

Tom and Zoe burst through the double doors at the end of the corridor. "Frank ! Our driver couldn't get through the traffic," said Zoe. "Is she alright ?" she asked. Frank was about to answer when the medical team came out of Aneisha's room.

"Agent London ?" asked a woman in a white coat. "I'm Doctor Rennie. Agent Jones has recovered consciousness. It appears she was rendered unconscious by a powerful knockout gas. She will have to remain in hospital for at least two days to allow the effects to wear off, but we are expecting her to make a full recovery."

Frank thanked the doctor and the others all breathed a sigh of relief. They went into Aneisha's room to find her propped up in a hospital bed looking a bit groggy still.

Tom and Zoe rushed to Aneisha's bedside. Dan hung back a little. "Aneisha, thank goodness. We were so scared !" said Zoe, grabbing Aneisha's hand.

"How are you feeling ?" asked Tom.

"Oh, I'm alright. Just feel half asleep, that's all. I think I could sleep for a month !" muttered Aneisha.

"I'm glad you're OK Aneisha," said Dan quietly.

"Well, it's no thanks to you is it ?" said Tom, rounding on Dan. Dan looked taken aback by Tom's obvious anger.

"Now wait a minute Tom," said Frank.

"No, I won't wait a minute ! He wasn't paying any attention to Aneisha !" said Tom hotly, pointing at Dan. "He's always interested in what Zoe's doing, but he doesn't care two hoots about Aneisha. She could have been dead for all he knew !" he was now shouting. Dan was backing away as Tom walked towards him, poking his finger into Dan's chest. "Where were you ?" demanded Tom.

Dan's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. "Tom, that's not fair," said Zoe, sounding shocked.

"Not fair ! I'll tell you what's not fair. What's not fair is Aneisha being left on her own to fend for herself while you two go off all lovey dovey looking after each other !" shouted Tom. Dan was now looking like he'd just had a battering from the Crime Minister herself. He turned on his heel and left the room without saying anything.

"Tom ! That's enough !" said Frank sharply. "Dan and Zoe had a different role from Aneisha. They couldn't be with her. If it weren't for Dan, we might never have found her," said Frank. Speaking more quietly, he said, "I think you should go and calm down a bit. I don't think the doctors will be too pleased to hear us all shouting in Aneisha's room." This had the desired effect and Tom began to look a bit ashamed of his outburst.

"What's Tom upset about ?" asked Aneisha, looking confused.

"Tom thinks it was Dan's fault that you were knocked out," explained Frank.

"Oh no, it's nothing to do with Dan. I was supposed to be under cover. It's my own fault I went following this guy who was acting weird," said Aneisha. "How did you find me ?" she asked.

"Dan got suspicious when you didn't report in as usual and he went looking for you," said Frank. "Against my orders as it happened. I thought you were just keeping quiet to avoid detection," he smiled apologetically.

"Oh well, no serious harm done," said Aneisha. She yawned.

"I think we should let you get some rest," said Frank, ushering the other two out of the room. "We'll see you again tomorrow." The others said their goodbyes as they left.

"Tom, I think you owe Dan an apology," said Frank quietly as they walked down the corridor. "That was totally out of order," he said. "I wonder where he's gone."

They didn't pass Dan on the way out of the hospital. He wasn't standing outside or sitting in the MI9 car which had brought Tom and Zoe to the hospital. Frank asked the driver if he'd seen Dan. He'd seen someone who looked like Dan coming out of the hospital and heading over the road to a local park.

"We've got to find him," said Frank, leading the way over the road to the park. At the park entrance they looked at the two paths leading into the park ahead. "We'll have to split up. Tom, you come with me this way. Zoe would you search that way please ? We call each other if we find him, alright ?" Zoe nodded and headed off on her path.

"I'm sorry Frank," said Tom. "I was really worried and angry. I shouldn't have taken it out on Dan," he added.

"Well, you're going to have to tell Dan when we find him," said Frank. "He always feels responsible for you all. Come on !"

Zoe walked quickly through the park, scanning all around her for a hint of Dan's dark clothes. There was no sign of him. She had been walking for five minutes when she saw a lake up ahead. There were benches by the lake and she could see a figure in black clothes sitting on one of the benches with their back to her. She speeded up her pace to get there more quickly.

"Dan ?" she said, as she approached the figure. Dan sat up straight, rubbed the back of his hand over his face and turned to look at her. She could see he'd been crying. "Oh Dan ! Tom didn't mean those things !" she said. "He was just upset."

"He meant it," muttered Dan quietly.

Zoe tapped her earpiece. "Frank, I've found him. Beside the lake," she whispered into her microphone.

Zoe sat down beside Dan. "Dan, it wasn't your fault. You were the one who wanted to go and look for Aneisha. Frank didn't want you to go," she said gently.

"I was a bit late though wasn't I ?" asked Dan bitterly. "I should have gone before when she didn't report in," he said. Zoe looked helplessly at Dan who she could see was eaten up with guilt.

"Dan, it wasn't your fault," she repeated, unable to think of anything else to say to him. She looked round in relief as Frank and Tom arrived.

Dan looked round at them and Tom was immediately struck by the haunted, guilty look on Dan's face. Too late he realised that he'd hit Dan where it would hurt most. "Dan, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things to you," said Tom. "It wasn't your fault," he trailed off, wondering what to say. Tom could see that the damage was done. He looked to Frank for help.

"Dan, come on, let's go home," said Frank. He waved to Dan to get up. Dan got up slowly, looking like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Zoe took his hand.

Tom stared at his friend for a moment and then reached out and hugged him round the shoulders. "I'm really sorry Dan," he said. Slowly they walked Dan back through the park to the waiting car. As it started to go dark, Frank dropped each of the teens at their respective houses, now back in their school uniforms. They were all subdued, but Dan never said a word all the way home. Zoe and Frank watched Dan walking up to his front door.

"Is he going to be OK ?" asked Zoe.

"I hope so. I'll speak to him on Monday," promised Frank.


	2. Chapter 2

**The next update won't be so quick, sorry.**

_Zoe and Frank watched Dan walking up to his front door._

"_Is he going to be OK ?" asked Zoe._

"_I hope so. I'll speak to him on Monday," promised Frank._

On Monday, everyone rolled into school as normal. Frank hung out in the corridor, hoping to catch his team as they came in. Zoe arrived first as usual. Even after all these months at school she still bounced in full of life and happy to be there. Tom and Aneisha followed not long afterwards, with Tom staring at his hand as usual. Aneisha smiled at Frank.

"Aneisha, how are you feeling now ?" asked Frank.

"Oh, I'm fine," said Aneisha breezily. "The others here ?"

"Erm, well Zoe's here. I'm still waiting for Dan," said Frank.

Aneisha immediately picked up on his anxiety. "What's the matter with Dan ?" she asked.

"Well, he took your being hurt rather badly. He feels guilty about it," said Frank.

"Why ? It wasn't his fault," said Aneisha, sounding baffled. "Why on earth would he think it's his fault ?" she asked.

"Erm, well, that might be, kind of, my fault," admitted Tom, looking guilty.

"What ?" asked Aneisha, staring at him in disbelief.

"I kind of went mad at him because you got hurt and I sort of said it was his fault," said Tom, his voice getting quieter and quieter. "I said I was sorry, but, well, I think it was too late. He was already feeling bad and I made it worse," he admitted, wincing.

"Since when is Dan responsible for everyone else on this team ?" demanded Aneisha, with her hands on her hips.

"Er, guys ?" said Tom quietly, nodding towards the gates. They all turned to look and saw Dan shambling slowly across the school yard towards them. He was staring at the ground in front of him and looked like he hadn't slept all weekend.

"Dan !" called Aneisha. Dan looked up and his face brightened a little when he saw Aneisha. She walked up to him and gave him a massive hug. "Hey, I've got something to say to you !" she said. Dan looked baffled and a little worried. "First of all, thankyou for coming to find me. I could still be lying in a KORPS base if it wasn't for you. Secondly, when did we make you responsible for everyone in the team ? The last I remember was that we were all equal members of a team and we were all to look out for each other. That means that I'm supposed to watch your back the same as Zoe. As far as I'm concerned, you had my back last week and I've got no complaints. Do you understand me ?"

Dan looked a little shell-shocked, but he slowly nodded. Frank realised he was holding his breath, waiting to see if Aneisha's little pep-talk had worked on Dan's mood. He breathed out in relief when he saw the tension draining out of Dan's shoulders. So did Aneisha and she reached out and gave him another, softer hug. "Hey, you're plenty good enough for us OK ?" she said.

Dan hugged her back. "Thanks 'Neish," he whispered.

"No probs !" said Aneisha. The bell rang. "I think we'd better get to class or Mr. McNab will do his nut. You going to be OK ?" she asked him.

"Bit tired," admitted Dan, rubbing his eyes.

Tom put his arm round Dan's shoulders. "Come on. I'll find you some matchsticks," he said. The three of them walked into school shoulder to shoulder. Frank watched them going in and smiled. They always managed to make him proud.

Zoe greeted them cheerfully from her desk when they entered the classroom. After registration, they had maths. Tom and Zoe were in a different maths stream from the other two. Dan found himself struggling to concentrate on simultaneous equations. He had managed to get so little sleep over the weekend that he was finding it difficult even to focus his eyes properly. The lesson ended and he breathed a sigh of relief. Dan stood from his chair, stuffed his books back in his bag and tried to remember where he was supposed to go next. Aneisha spotted him staring into the distance, but someone else had been watching too.

"Oh, hi Dan," said Melissa. Dan turned and looked at her, as if he'd never seen her before in his life. "Are you doing anything tonight ?' she asked, flicking her hair away from her face.

"Yeah, sleeping as much as possible," said Dan, turning and leaving the room. Melissa watched him go, a mixture of confusion and annoyance on her face.

Aneisha caught up with Dan in the corridor. She took his arm, turned him around and walked him in the opposite direction. "History. McNab," she said.

"Oh yeah. Thanks," said Dan, vaguely.

"Come on. You've got to stay awake through Mr. McNab's class or you'll be in detention," warned Aneisha.

Dan made it almost half way through the lesson. He even managed to come up with a reasonably intelligent answer to a question thrown at him by Mr. McNab. The trouble started when the class were asked to write down a list of reasons for the outbreak of the First World War. Dan remembered making a list of two things. The next thing he remembered was waking up to a furious shouting at him and stabbing his finger at Dan's list. Dan was so confused, he thought at first that he was having a bad dream. He glanced across at Aneisha who was looking worried and shaking her head at him. Mr. McNab had gone silent and was staring at him. He had obviously just asked him a question. Dan wondered what to do. Aneisha had been shaking her head. "No Sir," he said, hoping that this was the appropriate response.

"Finally, thankyou Mr. Morgan. My office, 3:30," barked Mr. McNab. Dan breathed a sigh of relief. He struggled through the rest of the lesson and managed to feign interest in the next. The bell rang for lunch.

"Dan ! Come on ! You need something with caffeine in it," said Aneisha, taking his arm again. They were joined by Tom and Zoe who both looked concerned at Dan's exhaustion. They all helped him to get some food and some Diet Cola. Tom had gone through all the labels and assured him that this one would have the most caffeine in it.

The food and drink did a lot to help Dan gain some energy, but he was now getting a headache and ended up sitting leaning his head on one hand. "What have we got this afternoon ?" he asked groggily.

"French, some sort of special assembly and PE," said Zoe.

Dan slumped his head on to the table. Tom glanced at his watch. "There's 40 minutes until French. Frank might let you have a nap down in the basement," he suggested. This sounded like a good idea. Tom called Frank on his communicator and Frank said Dan was welcome to use the medical room for a sleep. Dan said goodbye to the others and headed for the janitor's cupboard. Down in the base he pulled off his shoes and laid down on the medical bed. He managed to set his mobile phone to wake him at the right time and immediately fell into a deep sleep.

Dan woke up, startled, with no idea where he was. Then he remembered coming down to the base for a nap. He glanced at his watch. No way ! It was 3 pm ! would kill him. He'd missed the whole afternoon's lessons. Frantically he grabbed his shoes and pulled them on. Grabbing his bag he ran into the lift and headed up to the school level. He ran out of the janitor's cupboard and ran through the deserted corridors to Mr. McNab's office.

He knocked on the door and his knock pushed it open slightly. It hadn't been closed properly. He pushed the door open. "Mr. McNab, I'm really sorry ! I fell asleep and I just woke up !" he said as the door opened on to an empty room. He looked around for any sign of the Deputy Headmaster. No, the room was definitely empty. He wondered if he should wait. Dan stuck his head out of the office door and looked up and down the corridor. It was empty. It suddenly struck him, how quiet everything was. There were no voices, no footsteps and no sound of Frank using the floor polisher.

This was weird. It was near the end of the day, but there were always a few people hanging around, in the corridors. There was always someone around. Curiously he left Mr. McNab's office and walked down a few corridors. There was nobody. Mr. Flatley's office door was also ajar. He pushed it open and found another empty office. Maybe they'd had a fire alarm. He could have slept through it.

Hefting his school bag back up his shoulder Dan walked out to the fire assembly area. It was also deserted, as was the school yard. He was completely on his own.


	3. Chapter 3

**As usual, I don't own any of the characters, except for any I make up.**

Hefting his school bag back up his shoulder Dan walked out to the fire assembly area. It was also deserted, as was the school yard. He was completely on his own.

This was completely crazy ! Dan pulled out his communicator and called Frank. "Frank ? Hi Frank, can you hear me ?" asked Dan. There was no response. Feeling lost, he decided to search the whole school properly. The school was eerily quiet as he walked through the deserted corridors. It was like some ridiculous sci fi movie. He was walking past the doors to the school hall when he decided he may as well have a look inside there too. He pushed open the door to complete silence. The hall had to be deserted. Only it wasn't.

Dan stared dumbstruck across the hall. The entire school was standing in the hall. All the students were lined up on the floor staring straight ahead in silence. Teachers either stood with them or sat on the stage, also in complete silence. Even Frank was standing, leaning on his broom handle. There was a soft hiss of people breathing, but otherwise, not a sound. For some reason, Dan didn't want to break the silence. He walked softly down the side of the room, looking into the glassy stares of his school-mates. He saw Zoe, Tom and Aneisha standing like statues in the centre of the hall with the rest of their class.

Dan dashed round the rows to the middle aisle. He dropped his school bag and waved his hand in front of Tom's face. Tom didn't even blink. What had happened to them ? "Tom !" called Dan, gently tapping Tom's cheek. Tom didn't move a muscle. "Come on guys, snap out of it !" he shouted at them. He took Aneisha's hand and rubbed it. There was no response. He stood in front of Zoe, wondering what to do. He wasn't exactly feeling like Prince Charming, but he tried kissing her. This also had no effect. "Oh please ! Come on Zoe !" he begged her in a whisper.

"Are you looking for something ?" asked a cold voice behind him. He spun round to see the Crime Minister standing watching him, with a cruel smile on her lips.

Dan dropped into a defensive posture. "What have you done to them ?" he demanded.

"Some basic hypnotism backed up with our new experimental gas. They make excellent subjects, don't you agree ?" she asked him. She was walking slowly towards him, like a cat stalking its prey. As she approached, Dan took a step backwards and bumped into Tom. He glanced around once more into Tom's glassy eyes. "V95, kill him !" ordered the Crime Minister. Zoe didn't move. "What is this ? She won't obey !" shouted the Crime Minister. Nervously, Dan looked around him and saw several KORPS operatives gathering in the school hall. "V95, obey !" she ordered again.

Dan grinned. "That's not her name," he said, with satisfaction.

"Oh ! No matter," said the Crime Minister dismissively. "You told me his name," she said, pointing to Tom. "Tom, kill him !" she ordered, folding her arms and leaning back to watch.

To Dan's astonishment, Tom suddenly wrapped his arm around Dan's neck, pulling tightly. Gasping for air, Dan desperately tried to prize loose Tom's grip. He didn't want to hurt Tom, but he had to get him off. He twisted around and managed to loosen Tom's grip enough to get a decent lung full of air. Dan turned and kicked at Tom's legs. He was reluctant to hit his friend, knowing that this was not Tom's choice. Dan could have sworn that he saw some fear in Tom's eyes. His kick knocked Tom off his feet, but he seemed to have developed fighting skills that Dan didn't know he had. Tom spun on the ground and grabbed Dan's legs, pulling him off his feet. Dan crashed to the floor and banged his head on the ground.

Dazed and seeing stars, Dan gazed up as Tom reared above him, pulling back his arm into a punch. The last thing he saw was Tom's fist slamming into his face.

Frank heard the bell ringing. What was that for ? He looked around him and saw everyone else doing the same. He glanced at the hall clock and was shocked to see that it was 3:20. It was the end of the school day. Surely he couldn't have fallen asleep standing up. He knew Mr. Flatley could be boring, but still, sleeping on his feet had to be a new low. Speaking of Mr. Flatley, he seemed to be equally astonished.

"Oh my goodness, is that the time ? Where were we ? Ah, yes, I can't remember. Erm, school dismissed !" he called out. The students immediately started milling around in a confused way, heading for their lockers to collect their things. The hall emptied of staff and students until only Frank, Tom and Aneisha were left. Frank casually walked over to them. Tom looked upset.

"Tom, what's the matter ?" asked Frank.

"I don't know. I had the weirdest dream," said Tom. "My hand hurts," he complained, rubbing his knuckles.

Aneisha also looked confused. "Where's Zoe ?" she asked. "And what's Dan's bag doing on the floor ?"

Frank's face froze with anxiety as he leaned towards the floor near Dan's bag. "And where did this blood come from ?" he asked. Looking around to make sure they weren't being observed, he scraped up a sample of the blood into a small container and put it in his pocket. "Something's going on ! Get Dan's bag and meet me in HQ in a few minutes," he ordered, heading rapidly out of the hall.

He passed Mr. Flatley on his way to the janitor's cupboard. "Ah Frank. I really don't know where the time went !" exclaimed Mr. Flatley. "Well, must get on."

Down in HQ Frank set up the DNA analyser to identify the owner of the blood sample. He had a feeling he already knew. He started pulling up the school's hidden CCTV feeds to find out what had happened in the last half hour. Shortly Tom and Aneisha joined him, carrying their own bags and Dan's bag.

"Frank, I can remember more of this dream. I was fighting Dan. I knocked him down on the floor and punched him in the face," said Tom, looking ready to cry.

"It's alright Tom. Sit down and we'll go through the CCTV footage. Something is going on here," said Frank.

The machine in the corner binged and Aneisha got up to collect the paper feeding out of it. "Frank," she said, reading the paper. "This paper says the blood is Dan's !" She looked at the other two. Tom whimpered. "Come on Tom," she said, sitting next to him and putting her arm round his shoulders. "Let's work out what's been going on."

Frank forwarded the footage to the start of the special assembly. "There's no sign of Dan," commented Aneisha. "He must have overslept."

"I'm not surprised. He was shattered !" said Tom.

They watched as Mr. Flatley wittered on and everybody's attention drifted. Suddenly, a misty smoke started to rise from underneath all the chairs. Everyone in the room went silent and still. As they watched in fascination, somebody walked into the room. As their face turned towards the camera, they could see that it was the Crime Minister. Several henchmen were with her. She faced the room and spoke. Everyone promptly stood up. She turned as one of her agents spoke to her, and all of the KORPS agents then left the room. After a few moments, Dan ran into the hall. He stopped and walked round the room. Then he walked up to Tom and tried to get his attention. When he rubbed Aneisha's hand on the screen, Aneisha felt her own hand. She had a vague memory of someone holding her hand, but couldn't quite seem to get hold of it. Then they watched Dan kiss Zoe. "Aww," said Aneisha under her breath. Frank and Tom turned to look at her. "Well ?" said Aneisha. They turned back to the screen.

What happened next took their breath away. The Crime Minister walked up behind Dan who dropped into a fighting position. Tom watched himself attacking Dan, throwing him down and then punching him as he lay on the floor. He then had to watch as Dan was dragged from the hall by two KORPS agents, followed by Zoe who was marched out of the hall after him. "No !" whispered Tom. "He didn't even try to fight back !"

"Well, he knew you weren't choosing to hit him Tom," said Aneisha. "He wouldn't want to hurt you." She paused. "Oh and that was quite a punch by the way !" she added. Tom managed a weak smile.

Meanwhile Frank was fast-forwarding the CCTV file to the point where they woke up. "Hm, I think that's over 25 minutes between Dan and Zoe being abducted and us waking up," he said. "It looks like KORPS have been developing more than one gas, unless the one used on Aneisha was experimental of course," he added thoughtfully.

"Frank, what are we going to do ?" asked Tom.

"Hm ? Oh, we're going to need some help," said Frank. "I'm going to make some calls. I'd like you two to go through any local CCTV and see if you can trace the KORPS team out of here," he ordered.


	4. Chapter 4

**OK, I have reused one of my own characters from a previous story, at the suggestion of DrWhoFanForeva (still can't spell that) which was "Spy School". He is Ilya, a former Russian spy and now MI9 agent, friend of Oscar's. This story also obviously follows on from "School Trip". I didn't mention this earlier because I only just decided to do it. Just to make it even more complicated, there will be a mention back to "Mystery Islands". **

"_Frank, what are we going to do ?" asked Tom._

"_Hm ? Oh, we're going to need some help," said Frank. "I'm going to make some calls. I'd like you two to go through any local CCTV and see if you can trace the KORPS team out of here," he ordered. _

Tom and Aneisha worked on pulling up all the local CCTV channels. They had done this so many times before that they knew all of the local cameras which could be useful. Before long they had traced the route by which the KORPS team had left the area. "Frank ? They're heading north," reported Tom. "Dan and Zoe don't have their communicators on them, so we can't trace those. I don't know what else to try," he said.

Frank went to his desk and pulled out his DNA tracer. There couldn't be many of Zoe's clones heading into northern Scotland at this point. Surely he would be able to track her down ! The three of them gathered round the screen of the DNA tracer. Sure enough there was a trace of Zoe DNA heading north towards the northwest coast of Scotland. "Thats got to be them," said Aneisha. Frank agreed.

"Tom, can you get some satellite access and see if you can track down the vehicle ?" asked Frank. "It should get easier as the evening goes on and the levels of traffic fall." Tom agreed. He was glad to be doing something useful. He had successfully gained a trace on the vehicle when he found Aneisha sitting beside him. He glanced round and they smiled slightly at each other.

"We seem to spend a lot of our time looking for those two don't we ?" joked Aneisha.

"Yeah," agreed Tom softly. "Zoe's just, well, Zoe and Dan seems to get sucked in every time trouble arrives. They're like two planets that just can't help orbiting each other," he said.

Aneisha frowned. "Hm, I think I understand what you just said. You may have gone a metaphor too far for me !" she joked. Her humour faded in an instant. "I wish they were here with us though," she said quietly.

Frank overheard her as he came up to see what progress Tom had made. "We'll get them back Aneisha," he assured her, squeezing her and Tom's shoulders. They all jumped as the lift signalled its arrival. The doors opened to reveal a small group of people.

"Frank ! Great to see you ! Erm, although, maybe not in the current circumstances," the speaker backtracked hastily. First out of the lift walked a tall, blonde-haired young man.

"Oscar !" called out Aneisha and Tom, jumping up from their seats smiling. He grinned back at them.

"So, have you lost Dan again ?" he asked, with mock severity. "That boy has a nose for trouble !" he added. He saw them looking behind him. "Oh, I'd better introduce everyone. This is Agent Dixon Halliday our team leader," he said, indicating an older man with short dark hair and eyes just like Oscar's. "This is Carrie," he said waving towards a dark-skinned young woman with a big open smile. They instantly liked her. "This is Rose," he said gesturing towards another young woman with honey-brown skin, "And this is Ilya," he said finally, pointing towards another blond young man with a cheeky grin.

"You'd better tell us what's happened Frank," suggested Agent Dixon Halliday in a businesslike way. "We need to get moving. Oh, and you can call me Edward. It's quicker," he added with a smile to Tom and Aneisha.

"Yes, well, a few days ago, our team were involved in an operation which resulted in Aneisha here, being knocked out by KORPS with a new type of anaesthetic gas. Luckily she made a full recovery. Today KORPS infiltrated the school and managed to render the entire school immobile with another gas release. Tom will you run the CCTV please ?" asked Frank. Tom streamed the images to the large glass screen in the middle of the room so everyone could see. Once again they watched as the whole school were put under the control of the Crime Minister, then Dan ran into the hall, was knocked out and then he and Zoe were taken away.

"Zoe's the girl who was cloned from the Mastermind isn't she ?" asked Edward. They nodded. "I can understand why they want Zoe, but why Dan ?" asked Edward.

"Well, they're kind of close, you see," said Aneisha, rubbing the back of her neck. It was embarrassing to explain. "I think KORPS have realised that they can make Zoe do what they want if they have Dan," she explained. She could feel her face getting hot, and looked down at the ground.

"Hm, sounds like that mission we had in Norway, except it was SKUL developing gas chemical weapons," said Rose. Oscar, Carrie and Ilya all nodded in agreement.

Carrie shivered. "I don't fancy being experimented on again," she said.

"You and me both !" agreed Ilya.

"What kind of gas was it ?" asked Edward.

"It made people go wild and start attacking one another. It sort of made them paranoid and see attackers everwhere," explained Rose. "This development sounds a lot more focussed and advanced," she added glumly. "Typical KORPS in fact. They make SKUL look like a bunch of amateurs."

"Tom, do you have the trace from the satellite still ?" Frank asked.

Tom spun round to his computer. "Yes, they're still travelling. They appear to be heading out to the west coast now, look," he said, putting the image up on the large screen. "Oh, hang on, they've stopped." He started typing away on his computer. "They are on the Ardnamurchan peninsula, at a place called Strontian. Isn't that where they ..." before he could finish, Rose jumped in

"Where they first discovered Strontium," said Rose triumphantly. Tom looked at her in surprise. Aneisha rolled her eyes. Oh, boy, geek convention ! Her eye was caught by Carrie's knowing look.

"Could there really be two ?" asked Carrie. This made Aneisha, Ilya and Oscar snort with laughter. Even Edward and Frank smiled.

"Is there anything special about this place ?" asked Ilya, looking closely at the satellite image.

"Well, there are the old lead mines I suppose. That's where they mined the original Strontium," explained Tom.

"Radioactive element ?" asked Ilya.

"Yup. That's the one," agreed Tom.

"There is a lot of water here," commented Ilya.

"Yes, it's on a long, deep sea loch," said Tom. "It's quite a remote area. Not many people around," he added.

"Tunnels Oscar ! Your favourite !" said Carrie, patting Oscar on the arm. "No obvious need for translating though," she added glumly.

"That doesn't matter," said Edward briskly. "I want you all on this. This introduction of new chemical weapons could be serious. Also, we are going to need a substantial team to recover the two missing agents. Do you agree Frank ?" he asked.

Frank looked at Edward gratefully. "Yes, we're going to need all the help we can get. Thanks for this Edward," he said. "I appreciate it."

"It's what we're for isn't it ?" asked Edward.


	5. Chapter 5

**This one is a bit short, but it had a natural ending. You'll see what I mean. **

_Frank looked at Edward gratefully. "Yes, we're going to need all the help we can get. Thanks for this Edward," he said. "I appreciate it."_

"_It's what we're for isn't it ?" asked Edward._

Zoe was sitting in the back of a black van, speeding along roads to somewhere. She had no idea where. It probably didn't really matter. Every nerve of her body screamed for her to act, to escape, to do anything. She wasn't going to do anything. She couldn't do anything. Slumped on the bench opposite her in the van was Dan. A KORPS agent held his unconscious body upright with one arm and held a large knife to his throat with the other. Every so often when the van bounced over some pothole or bump either Dan or the knife moved and the knife pricked another small slit in the skin of his neck. The tiny trickles of blood from these wounds blended in with the lines of blood which had now stopped running from his nose where Tom had punched him.

Zoe burned with anger at the memory of standing and watching while Dan tried unsuccessfully to wake the team. She could still taste his gentle, anxious kiss and see his disappointment when she didn't respond. Unable to move or protest she watched as the Crime Minister forced Tom to attack Dan. Dan's reluctance to hurt his friend had inevitably resulted in his injury and capture. She would not cry ! These thugs were not going to see any weakness from her. There was a soft cough and Dan stirred. His eyes flickered open and he lifted his head, choking slightly. When he pushed against his captor the man forced his knife up hard against Dan's throat making him flinch from the sharp pain of the knife slicing into the outer layer of his skin.

"You move and I'll kill you, understand ?" growled the man. Dan swallowed and froze. Zoe saw his eyes focussing on her and saw the question in them.

"I'm alright Dan. Just stay still please ?" she begged him gently.

The KORPS man chuckled nastily. "Yeah, you do what your little girlfriend says sonny. Otherwise it'll be MI9 kebab ! Har, har," he laughed, obviously very satisfied with his position of power over the two helpless teens. Zoe recognised a bully when she saw one. KORPS was full of them.

Zoe glanced at her watch. They'd been driving for hours now. Even the KORPS agent had to shift position and let Dan sit up more comfortably because of his own aching arms. He still held the knife to Dan's throat. The van suddenly ground to a halt. It took all of Dan's remaining strength to stop himself falling sideways and impaling himself on the man's knife. The van's doors were thrown open. The KORPS man grabbed the back of Dan's jacket and pushed him out of the van doors. Dan fell to his hands and knees before being pulled back up and pushed towards a tunnel entrance. A hand grabbed the back of his jacket again and he was propelled through tunnels lit first by tiny LEDS like fairly lights and then once deeper inside, by glaring flourescent strip lights. The walls of the tunnel glittered with white crystals and gleaming metallic veins.

Dan felt exhausted and his head was throbbing. His rubbery legs just made it into a room hacked out of the surrounding rock and he was thrust into a metal chair in the middle of the room. His hands were pulled behind his back and tied tightly. Zoe followed him only seconds afterwards and she too was pushed into a chair facing him. "Don't you two love birds get up to anything now will you ?" said one of the guards, laughing. Everyone left the room and the door clanged shut.

Zoe felt her eyes stinging with the start of tears. Dan could barely hold himself upright in the chair, he looked so exhausted. Slowly he lifted his gaze from the floor and tried to focus on her face. "Zoe," he said in a hoarse whisper. "You OK ?" he asked.

"I'm fine Dan. They had us all under control with some sort of gas. None of us could do anything unless the Crime Minister told us to do it. I'm so sorry, I couldn't answer you !" said Zoe, her voice gradually fading to a despairing whisper.

"I know. 'S okay," muttered Dan. "Hope Tom's OK."

"Well, he might have bruised his knuckles," said Zoe, sounding surprised.

"Not what I meant," muttered Dan.

"No, I'm sure he'll be OK. Aneisha will look after him," offered Zoe.

"Heck of a punch !" whispered Dan.

Zoe giggled in spite of herself. "Yes, he threw a good one didn't he," she said.

"Just need to point him at someone else next time," said Dan, his whisper fading, and his head sagging.

They sat in silence, with only Dan's wheezing breaths filling the room. "Dan," said Zoe. Dan twisted his head to look at her. It seemed to have become too heavy for him to lift. "Dan, I won't let them hurt you. Whatever they want me to do, I'm going to do it," she promised him. Dan could only shake his lead slightly. He seemed to be overwhelmed with weariness.

They both jumped when the door suddenly banged open. "Oh how lovely, the young lovers !" sneered the Crime Minister as she stalked into the room in her long, high-heeled boots. She grabbed Dan's chin and forced it up, making him look into her face. "Oh Romeo, Romeo, whatever have we got planned for you Romeo ?" she taunted him. She dropped his head which slumped back down. She turned to face Zoe. "And Juliet ! How sweet you look, all under my control," crowed the Crime Minister. "You my dear, are going to do what you are told, do you understand ? We have some new gasses to test and your lovely young man here is going to test them for us. Provided you do as you are instructed we will only test the non-lethal gases. If you should even attempt to cross us however, Romeo here will be testing out potentially fatal doses. Do you understand me ?" she demanded, pushing her face into Zoe's.

Zoe automatically pulled back her head. She nodded frantically. "I'll do what you say," she whispered.

"Everything !" demanded the Crime Minister.

"Everything !" promised Zoe.

The Crime Minister smiled in triumph. "Good. Take them away ! I'm tired," she announced. "You will start tomorrow," she ordered as she swept out of the room. Dan and Zoe were untied and walked through more tunnels to some small cells, separated by bars. The men who were half carrying Dan threw him on to a small bed at one side of his cell. Zoe was pushed into the cell next door. The men marched away, leaving the two agents alone. Zoe dashed the short distance across her cell to Dan's side. His eyes were closed.

"Dan," said Zoe gently. His eyes opened and looked up at her. "Lean over. There's a blanket under you," she instructed him. He managed to shift his body so she could pull out the blanket trapped under his body. Reaching through the bars of the cell, she spread out the blanket over his body. He was asleep before she'd finished. She looked at her bed, and pulled it over to the side of her cell next to Dan. Wrapping herself in her blanket she lay down beside Dan and listening to him gently snoring through his blocked nose and tried to get to sleep. Things couldn't get any worse could they ? Knowing KORPS, things could always get worse.


	6. Chapter 6

**I may have introduced too many characters now. It's getting hard keeping track of everyone.**

_Zoe looked at her bed, and pulled it over to the side of her cell next to Dan. Wrapping herself in her blanket she lay down beside Dan and listening to him gently snoring through his blocked nose tried to get to sleep. Things couldn't get any worse could they ? Knowing KORPS, things could always get worse._

Tom lay amongst the bracken holding a pair of binoculars to his eyes. "What exactly are we on again Frank ?" he asked.

"Botany field trip," said Frank's voice in his earpiece, also staring through a pair of binoculars from a different vantage point. "Rare lichens and funghi I think. Mr. Flatley's favourite," he added.

"Hm. Toadstools and Morris Dancing. You can't accuse him of going for the obvious can you ?" mused Tom. He heard someone snorting with laughter in his earpiece.

"Have you heard him play the piano accordian ?" asked Carrie's voice.

"No," said Tom slowly.

"Try to keep it that way," advised Carrie. "I used it to torture a SKUL operative. Oh hey ! I've got movement guys," she warned.

Instantly, several pairs of eyes were trained on the tunnel entrance. A black van drew up to the apparently abandoned mine. Its side door opened. After a moment a small group of people marched out of the tunnel entrance. In the middle they could clearly see the bright auburn hair of Zoe. Her hands weren't tied and she didn't seem to be being threatened in any way as she climbed into the van with the others and the van drove off.

"I didn't see Dan, did you ?" asked Tom.

"No," agreed Frank. "He must be still inside. My guess is that they're keeping him hostage to force Zoe to co-operate. So long as Zoe toes the line, he's probably safe," Frank added. He sounded as if he were trying to convince himself.

"What are they getting Zoe to do though ? I thought they only wanted to turn her into the Mastermind. She looked more like she was going on a KORPS mission of some sort," said Tom.

"I don't know. Rose, do you have a fix on the van ?" asked Frank.

"Yes, we've got it on satellite," said Rose's voice. "The guys are ready to go when we know where they're heading." Behind her, Edward, Oscar and Ilya all nodded. "They look like they're headed up a remote glen. There's nothing marked on the map. I don't know what they're hoping to find," said Rose.

"Hang on," said Edward. "That's not the sort of map we want." He pulled the keyboard from one of the computers towards him and pulled up a window before typing in some commands. He glanced over at Rose's screen to get the coordinates and typed again. "There !" he said, swinging the computer screen round so the others could see. Marked on the map was a dotted line, showing the outline of a building. "It's a secret underground missile storage facility," explained Edward. "They don't put those on the Ordnance Survey maps.

"Why do they store missiles up there ?" asked Oscar.

"They've been put out of action under a missile treaty," explained Edward. "The parts you need to fire them have been removed, but it's easier just to store the warheads in a remote location than to try to take them apart."

"Are they nuclear ?" asked Ilya.

"Oh yes. I'm afraid they are," said Edward.

"We don't want KORPS getting hold of nuclear warheads," said Oscar. "We've got to stop them !"

"I'll contact the authorities to warn them," promised Edward. "Get your kit ready. We're going in. Rose I need you here to co-ordinate OK ? Oscar and Ilya, you're with me. Frank ? Can you hear all this ?" he asked.

"Yes, we're picking up everything," said Frank.

"Why don't you try to find a way into those tunnels," suggested Edward. "Rose can help you from here. We're going to have to get Dan out if we're going to take back Zoe. Get the lie of the land will you ?"

"We'll get on it," promised Frank. "Be careful all of you," he added.

Edward, Oscar and Ilya hurried out of the base and rendevouzed at a nearby football pitch where a helicopter was waiting for them. It was a secret military helicopter which flew almost silently. People around heard a buzz and felt a draft of air hit them, but couldn't work out where the noise was coming from. The three were taken north-west to the secret missile storage facility and managed to arrive ahead of the KORPS agents. After greeting the security staff who were now on high alert, Edward agreed with them where his team would hide. He didn't want to get caught in any cross-fire. The facility's military guards were heavily armed and clearly twitchy knowing that a KORPS team was heading their way.

Edward, Oscar and Ilya headed for their agreed positions. Ilya tapped Edward on the shoulder. "I think we should wear gas masks," he suggested. "They are always using gas now. We should not take any chances."

"Good point," agreed Edward. They each put on a gas mask and took positions around the storage hanger. Ilya muttered something to Oscar in Russian. Oscar replied in Russian. Edward smiled to himself. He was no Russian expert, but he knew 'Good Luck' in most languages.

They didn't have to wait long. They heard some dull thuds in the distance, followed by the sound of machine gun fire. Then everything went silent. "They did wear gas masks didn't they ?" Oscar whispered to the others.

"Yes. Standard army issue," replied Edward. "I wonder what went wrong."

The door to the underground storage facility was thrown open and a group of people dressed in black rushed in. "Just take the nearest !" shouted a man. Peering around the container in front of him, Oscar could make out the bright auburn hair of Zoe. He remembered her from when he'd met the team in France. He glanced round to Edward who waved him and Illya on towards the KORPS team.

Silently Edward, Oscar and Ilya made their way between the banks of storage containers, keeping low and out of sight at all times. They crouched close to the enemy and looked to Edward. Silently he counted down on his fingers, 3, 2, 1, "Hands in the air, this is MI9 !" shouted Edward, sounding slightly muffled through his gas mask. The KORPS agents looked up. One of them pulled a small grenade from his pocket and threw it towards them. Ilya shot it in mid air, but instead of exploding, it released a cloud of gas. "Take them !" ordered Edward and they rushed forward at the KORPS agents. Oscar was momentarily surprised when the KORPS agents didn't attempt to run from them. This was immediately before he ran through the gas cloud and began to lose control of his body. Oscar felt his legs turn to rubber and collapse under him. He fell helplessly. As he fell he twisted slightly and watched Edward and Ilya also falling to the ground. In one last attempt to retain consciousness, he grasped his stun gun, his finger tightened on the trigger and it released a stun dart. The dart miraculously hit one of the KORPS agents and he staggered and fell to the ground. Oscar felt as though his body was somehow disconnected. He couldn't tell where any of his body parts were. It was the weirdest sensation.

Surprised that he was still conscious though, Oscar lay on the floor and watched as the KORPS team completed their removal of one of the missile warheads and placed it carefully into a case they had brought with them. After closing the lid, he heard one of the team asking about the unconscious agent. "Leave him !" ordered the leader. "The effects of the nerve agent don't last long. We need to go." Zoe glanced at Oscar and obviously recognised him. He watched her mouth the word 'sorry' before she turned and followed the rest of her team out of the building.

"Guys, is everything alright ?" asked Rose's worried voice in their earpieces. "Guys ?"

Gradually, Oscar felt his body returning to him. At least, he could tell where his hands and feet were, although he still couldn't move them. A security guard from the facility staggered through the doorway above and looked down at the helpless MI9 agents and the opened storage container. He swore and staggered back out. After a minute, Edward and the others managed to pull themselves into a seated position. "So, that went well," said Edward.


	7. Chapter 7

_Gradually, Oscar felt his body returning to him. At least, he could tell where his hands and feet were, although he still couldn't move them. A security guard from the facility staggered through the doorway above and looked down at the helpless MI9 agents and the opened storage container. He swore and staggered back out. After a minute, Edward and the others managed to pull themselves into a seated position. "So, that went well," said Edward._

"Edward ! Are you alright ?" asked Rose, obviously very relieved to hear their voices.

"Yes Rose. I'm sorry, we were knocked out. Well, not exactly knocked out, just sort of immobilised," explained Edward. "I wish I knew how. Rose, you've got work to do," he said grimly. "We're bringing you some gas samples to analyse." He nodded to Oscar and Illya who started trying to scrape up any residue of the gas with sticky tape.

As soon as Edward's team had left the base, Rose had begun researching the old mine tunnels, trying to find some access point for the rest of the team. She directed them to an area on the other side of a small hill from where the main entrance was. "There's an old mine entrance marked although it's shown as 'disused'," she told the team. "It may have been closed off to stop people going in."

"It's worth a shot," said Frank. Frank, Aneisha, Carrie and Tom met up at the coordinates given to them by Rose. Carrie had arrived first. Frank decided she must have run there to arrive so quickly. Carrie had never liked hanging around. There was a depression in the ground ahead of them. Carrie had been scanning with her spy-pod.

"All I'm getting is rock," she complained.

"Oh, let me try," said Tom. He pulled a bulky piece of kit out of his pocket. "I've brought some ground penetrating radar," he said.

"Of course you have," said Aneisha. "You must take it with you everywhere !"

"No !" said Tom, trying to retain some dignity as Carrie giggled. "I brought it because I knew we were going to be investigating tunnels. Would you like me to use it or not ?" he asked.

"Yes please Tom. Only joking," said Aneisha, patting him on the shoulder. Tom like the feeling of Aneisha's hand on his shoulder, and this made him blush slightly. Carrie noticed and took note, but didn't say anything. Clearly there was more than one budding romance going on in this team. She thought back to her days in MI High, but remembered her relationship with Oscar more as a friendship type of thing. It was a shame, because he was pretty hot. Now it was Frank's turn to notice Carrie's blushes and wonder what on earth was getting into her.

"OK," said Tom, after he had waved his odd looking box at the pile of stones in front of them. "There appears to be a cavity behind those rocks. If we are able to move the rocks, we should be able to get access to a tunnel. How are we going to move them Frank ?" he asked.

Frank was rubbing his chin. "Well, we can't blast them out without attracting attention. We'd need heavy lifting equipment to move them manually and I can't see us getting that into the area without attracting attention either. The honest answer Tom, is I don't know," said Frank, sounding frustrated. "Rose, have you got any ideas ?" Frank asked.

"What type of rock is it ?" asked Rose.

"Hm, granite, quartz and some mineral ore I think," said Frank.

"You could try sulphuric acid," suggested Rose. "That would corrode the granite."

"It combines with the metal elements in the rock and makes it disintegrate," added Tom. "I'm not sure how much we would need though."

"Where are we going to get it from ?" asked Frank.

"We could parachute it in," suggested Rose.

"Are you seriously suggesting dropping drums of sulphuric acid from a plane ?" asked Tom.

"Hm. Maybe not," said Rose. "You could make some. You could get some car battery acid and concentrate it."

"It might be quicker to drive some up here," said Tom. "We'd have to find some car batteries and the kit to heat it safely and then some glass containers. It could take all day to do that and from where I'm standing I can't see a single house let alone a car garage."

"Good point," said Rose. "I'll see what I can arrange at this end. Hang on a minute," she said before falling silent.

Some time later Rose came back on line. "OK, here's what we're going to do. MI9 are sourcing some concentrated sulphuric acid for you. They are also getting the necessary breathing apparatus and other safety equipment and tools to handle the rocks once they are weakened. The stuff is all going to be shipped up the coast in a mini-submarine. It should be with you in about six hours."

"Six hours !" complained Frank. "It's going to be dark by the time it arrives."

"I know. Stella is suggesting that it might be easier to break in under the cover of darkness anyway," said Rose. "I'm sorry Frank, but getting sulphuric acid to you safely isn't going to be easy. You could try blasting your way in," she suggested.

"That could just collapse the tunnel and we'd attract so much attention that Dan and Zoe could just be killed or moved," said Frank, sounding defeated. "All right Rose. I think it's the only option open to us at the moment. Have you heard anything from Edward and the others ?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid it hasn't gone well," reported Rose. "KORPS managed to send everyone at the missile storage base into some kind of paralysis and they were able to steal a warhead. Zoe was with them."

"Are the team OK ?" asked Frank, alarmed.

"Yes, they've all recovered now," Rose assured him. "Edward's hopping mad though. They're on their way back with some samples of the latest gas and a prisoner. I'll let you know what we find out. Oscar may be back in time to drive the mini-sub up there. You may as well get some rest while you can," she added. "Oh and Stella's on the case now. Since KORPS now have the nuclear warhead this has become MI9's top priority mission. She's going to interrogate the captured KORPS agent."

When Rose had signed off, Frank looked round at the others. Tom and Aneisha were looking frustrated. "Is there really nothing we can do ?" asked Aneisha.

"Not without getting someone killed," said Carrie. "That's not what we're here for is it ?"

Frank was surprise to hear Carrie talk like this. When she worked for MI High she was always the first to want action. She had obviously matured a lot since working in the adult division of MI9. Carrie noticed him looking at her and she gave him a small smile.

"Never thought you'd hear me say that Frank ?" she said teasingly.

Frank smile back at her. "You've all changed a lot," he said. "Not in any of the important things of course," he added. "Come on. Let's get to our base and get something to eat. We're not going to save anyone on an empty stomach."

Reluctantly Tom and Aneisha followed him back over the heather and scrub covering the local landscape. Carrie talked quietly to them, trying to keep their spirits up.

Back a base, Rose was dealing with a deeply frustrated Edward and some rather tacky gas samples. "I don't know how it got through the gas masks," huffed Edward. "We were all wearing standard issue masks. It shouldn't have got through."

"OK, why don't you help Oscar and Ilya with the sulphuric acid and equipment for Frank while I get on with the gas analysis," suggested Rose, hoping to get Edward out of her hair so she could concentrate. Edward wasn't fooled for a minute, but understood the logic behind her suggestion.

"OK, I'll go and help the boys. I think Frank is going to need a lot more hands to the job up at the KORPS base anyway. You OK here on your own ?" Edward asked Rose. Rose just nodded absentmindedly from her analysis bench. He left her to get on with it in peace.


	8. Chapter 8

"_OK, I'll go and help the boys. I think Frank is going to need a lot more hands to the job up at the KORPS base anyway. You OK here on your own ?" Edward asked Rose. Rose just nodded absentmindedly from her analysis bench. He left her to get on with it in peace._

Early that morning, Zoe and Dan were woken by a guard bringing them some food. Dan's face still ached. Zoe winced when he turned his head to face her, so he guessed he didn't look too pretty. "What's the damage ?" he asked her.

"Well," she said, pausing, "You've got a bloody nose, one very black eye and one quite black eye and your neck is covered in little cuts."

"Looking good then !" said Dan.

Zoe laughed and turned away so he wouldn't see her rubbing tears from her eyes. This wasn't going to help Dan.

They ate their food and drink and waited. They didn't have long to wait before their cell doors were opened and they were both taken to the same room they'd first arrived in. After a minute the Crime Minister arrived, accompanied by a small, stooped man, wearing a lab coat. "Professor, your test subject, as promised," she said, disinterestedly. The man walked up to Dan and looked him over.

"Hm, he is in a bit of a mess," the man commented. "No matter. He is conscious. That will do," he added. Dan thought he'd just got through the world's easiest job interview.

The Crime Minister turned to Zoe. "Now, your side of the bargain V95. You will accompany our team on a mission to obtain a nuclear warhead. You will come with me to receive your instructions," she ordered. She clicked her fingers and Zoe was untied and lead from the room with the Crime Minister following her. The Crime Minister stopped in the doorway. "Oh and Professor, please try not to kill him. Not yet," she instructed. The Professor smiled and nodded vaguely back to her.

Dan looked up at the Professor. "So, we will begin," said the Professor, rubbing his hands together. Dan was untied and taken behind the Professor to a large room cut out of the rocks. The Professor told him to sit in a chair. Two male assistants strapped his hands to the chair. Then a woman brought a bowl of warm water and washed the dried blood off his face and dabbed his cuts with antiseptic. He was then released and his jacket and shirt removed. Dan shivered a little in the coolness of the big rock chamber. He was taken across to a kind of examination bed and told to get on. He climbed on and found himself half lying and half sitting while the assistants strapped his arms, his ankles and waist. They attached all kinds of monitors and wired him up to an ECG machine.

"Good, now we are ready. We will begin with the hypnosis compound. I want to see how long the effects will last," instructed the Professor. A plastic breathing mask attached to a series of tubes was pulled over Dan's face and strapped to his head. He nervously stared up at the roof of the cave, wondering what was going to happen next. He then found himself staring up into the Professor's face, feeling confused. He had a weird memory, rather like a strange dream where he'd been singing some dreadful song he didn't like.

"Hm, that was an improvement on the last batch," said the Professor thoughtfully. "Could still be improved though. Never mind, we will move on to the paralysis gas. We want the effects to last longer. Bring the sample please. We need him to stand up for this one."

The assistants released Dan from his restraints and still with the breathing mask in place positioned him in the centre of the room. The two men walked away as the woman approached him, wearing a full chemical protection suit. She held some sort of garden spray. She sprayed a fine liquid at his chest. Dan flinched as the cold liquid hit his bare chest. He staggered backwards, and felt himself floating into space. He noticed the room moving upwards and the floor coming up to meet his face. For ages he felt nothing. It was as if he were floating in outer space. His vision blurred and the voices of the people around him became distorted and confusing.

The room rolled around and he was looking at the roof again. Still unable to focus his eyes, he couldn't understand what he was being told or follow the mysterious moving shapes in front of him. After what seemed like an age he started to feel his hands again although they seemed to be detached from his body. He found himself looking into the face of the Professor. "Ah good. Can you please follow my finger," instructed the Professor. He moved his finger from side to side and Dan was able to follow it with his eyes. "Excellent, the effects were much stronger than the batch we sent with the latest mission team. They lasted for longer as well," said the Professor, sounding satisfied.

Dan desperately wanted this nightmare to be over. He was struggling to stay positive as he was becoming increasingly frightened. He had no idea how long he lay on the cold hard floor before he was able to sit himself up again. The breathing mask was removed and he was given a drink of water. The two assistants then took him to use the facilities before bringing him back. Once again they put him on the examination bed and strapped him down. Dan clenched his fists as the breathing mask was placed back over his face. This would be over soon. It would be over soon, he promised himself.

"Good, the anaesthetic gas," said the Professor. "We need to know how strong a dose we can use. I want his heart rate monitored closely. Tell me as soon as his heart rate falls below 30," he instructed his team. Dan could sense the level of excitement rising amongst the scientists around him. He only wished he could share their enjoyment. He was terrified.

"His heart rate is very high, and so is his blood pressure," reported the woman. She had a foreign accent, Dan noticed.

"Ah ? No matter," said the Professor dismissively. "We don't want to upset the Crime Minister and kill him now do we ?" he laughed. "Let us begin." Dan squeezed his eyes shut hoping he could escape this terrible dream. When he opened them, he was still there. He felt cold air hitting his lungs. He wanted to cough, but found that he couldn't. The cold seemed to grip his whole chest and he struggled to breathe. A dark mist seemed to surround him and the room around him disappeared.

Dan awoke gradually, feeling nauseous and groggy. Someone was slapping the side of his face. "Hah, better. Now I think we won't tell the Crime Minister about this little episode will we ?" he heard the Professor saying. What episode ? Ow, his chest hurt. It felt like someone had been punching him in the ribs. Dan managed to move his head slightly and looked down at his chest. There were some bruises on his ribs, just below his heart. He wondered what had happened.

"Curious yes ?" asked the Professor. "You were dead for a little while. We managed to resuscitate you. No harm done," he added lightly. Dan lay back on the bed. He felt weak and exhausted and a bit sick.

"I feel, feel, s-s-sick," said Dan quietly. He tried to turn his head. Someone pulled off his breathing mask and swiftly supported his head while pushing a bowl under his face. After a second or two he vomited into the bowl. He felt a little better afterwards. He lay on the bed feeling dreadful and listening to the scientists calling out readings to one another and recording numbers. Eventually they stopped. They pulled him upright and handed him his shirt and jacket. Dan couldn't summon the strength to put them back on, and ended up being escorted back to his cell still carrying them.

As the cell door clanged shut behind him, Dan's legs gave way and he had to crawl to his bed, where he pulled the blanket around him, curled up and went to sleep.

Zoe returned from her mission wondering what was the point of her going. The KORPS agents were jubilant. They had their warhead. They boasted of how successful the nerve agent gas had been. "We sprayed it all over them. Idiots didn't even realise it was absorbed through the skin," crowed one of the agents. Zoe sat in silence. It hadn't been comfortable looking at Oscar and the other MI9 agents lying helpless on the ground. She'd liked Oscar. He had gentle eyes. She wondered what had happened to Dan.

Zoe was taken straight back to her cell, where she found Dan curled up asleep on his bed. His shirt and jacket were lying on the floor where he had abandoned them. With an empty feeling in her heart, Zoe sank on to her bed and reached through the bars to gently stroke Dan's hair. She told him how much she'd missed him during the day and how glad she was to see him again.

After a while Dan's eyes flickered open and he turned his head to look at her. He smiled slightly when he saw her worried face looking at him. He tried to speak, but his voice was a hoarse whisper. "So, how was your day ?" he asked her. Zoe didn't know what to say. She lifted him up and pushing her arms through the bars, wrapped him in a hug. Dan was surprised by her strength. He'd never met a girl like her.

"How are you feeling ?" she asked him with her eyes squeezed shut.

"Oh, I'm alright now," he answered. She noticed that he wasn't going into any details. Someone came in with a tray of food for each of them. After the food was dumped on the floor of each cell they were once again left alone.

Dan looked at the tray, not feeling hungry. All he really wanted to do was sleep. Hopefully tomorrow would be cancelled.

"You need to eat something," said Zoe. "We've got to get out of here and you'll need the strength," she encouraged.

Sighing, Dan pulled the tray to him, picked it up and started putting food into his mouth.


	9. Chapter 9

"_You need to eat something," said Zoe. "We've got to get out of here and you'll need the strength," she encouraged._

_Sighing, Dan pulled the tray to him, picked it up and started putting food into his mouth._

Tom and Aneisha sat together in their temporary base, which was a small holiday cottage along the coast from Strontian. Frank and Carrie were making a meal in the kitchen. Tom was researching sulphuric acid and its use to dissolve rocks. "Aneisha, this is going to take ages," he complained. "The ground penetrating radar was picking up a heavy rock fall," he said, patting the strange little black box sitting on the table next to him. "I think that even with full strength sulphuric acid it could still take us hours to get through the rock fall." He put his head in his hands. "We aren't going to get in there until the middle of tomorrow morning" he groaned.

Aneisha put her arm around his shoulder. She was worrying about the others too. Frank walked in to tell them to collect their food. "What's the matter Tom ?" he asked. Tom told him his estimate for breaking through the rock fall at the end of the tunnel. Frank frowned in concern. "It's rather a long time isn't it ?" he mused. "We can't do anything to alter that though Tom. It's the best we can do."

"Can't you speed up the reaction, like you did with that Germinator thingy ?" asked Aneisha.

"We'd have to heat up sulphuric acid," said Tom. "I suppose we could try," he said, looking at Frank.

Frank grimaced. "It doesn't sound very safe does it ? It would give off a lot of corrosive fumes. We could seriously injure the people doing the work," he said.

"That would be us wouldn't it ?" asked Aneisha, puzzled.

"Well no. I've asked Stella to send reinforcements. I want you two rested so you can join in the rescue mission," said Frank. "If you spend all night pouring sulphuric acid over rocks you won't be able to join in the assault on the KORPS base. It's going to be heavy work getting the drums of acid to the location of the tunnel entrance and it requires some specialist knowledge on how to use it properly."

Tom and Aneisha looked at one another. "That makes sense," agreed Tom glumly. Aneisha nodded in agreement.

"It's going to be hard doing nothing," she said.

"Well, you won't be doing nothing," said Frank. "You will be sleeping," he said, as Carrie walked in carrying plates piled with steaming food.

"That's after the eating," she informed them, with a grin. "Get stuck in ! What's the matter ?" she asked as Tom looked doubtfully at the food.

"Well, we could do with some cutlery," he said politely.

Carrie wagged her finger at him silently, then said, "Good point. Let's get cutlery."

A few hours later, Tom and Aneisha were sleeping on camp beds in the bedroom. Carrie and Frank met the mini-sub when it docked at a nearby small harbour. In the half light of the late evening they helped Oscar, Ilya and Edward unload drums of sulphuric acid, lifting equipment and a variety of tools and metal bars. When they had finished three MI9 vans arrived and a team of people climbed out. They were the team charged with gaining access to the blocked tunnel. The drums and equipment were loaded into the vans and Frank took the team off in two of the vans to show them how to get to the tunnel entrance.

Edward stood in the gathering darkness with his team. "OK, it's going to be a tough one tomorrow," he said. "Rose says the nerve agent they attacked us with was absorbed through the skin. That's why the gas masks didn't help. We need full chemical protection suits."

"But, they cannot use these weapons inside their own tunnels without affecting themselves also," pointed out Ilya.

"That's true. It all depends how stupid they are," said Edward.

"The Crime Minister is there. She wouldn't let them try to use chemical weapons inside their own base surely," said Carrie.

"You'd think not, but we can't be sure," said Edward. "I still want full chemical hazard suits." The others all nodded. "Come on. Let's get some rest," said Edward. "Carrie, can you show us the way please ?" he asked. They all climbed into the remaining van with their own gear and Carrie directed them to the base. After a quick meal Carrie joined Tom and Aneisha on her own camp bed in the bedroom. Edward, Ilya and Oscar bedded down in the main living room of the cottage. Frank returned in the early hours and found everyone asleep. After a quick call to MI9 HQ he also settled down to try and sleep.

Early the next morning, Zoe and Dan were woken once again with food. Dan was feeling much less shaky and dizzy now. The both ate their breakfasts and sat back down on their beds. "Dan," said Zoe. "I want you to know, I'll do anything to keep you safe. Anything."

"Don't you go volunteering to turn into the Mastermind will you ?" begged Dan. "I'd rather die .." he broke off.

Tears were now running down Zoe's face. "I don't want you to die for me. I don't want you to die at all," she whispered. They were now facing one another through the bars of the cell, their faces almost touching. Dan put his hands through the bars and laced them through Zoe's.

"Zo, as soon as they've used you to save the Mastermind, they will kill me anyway. I won't be any use to them any more. I don't want the last thing I see to be you being destroyed by those monsters !" he pleaded with her. "Please don't give up without a fight. You're such a good fighter, it would just be a waste of talent," he said, smiling at her and obviously fighting off tears.

"But, I can't face watching them kill you," she whispered, stumbling over the words. Finally, she gave up the struggle to find the words for what she wanted to say and she leaned her face through the bars and kissed the boy. "I care too much about you," she said looking into Dan's eyes. Dan kissed her back and they sat looking into one another's eyes, not moving.

"Oi, you two out !" shouted an angry voice. Their cells doors were unlocked and they were both pulled out and forced down the corridor. Once again they were tied to the two chairs in the interrogation room. The Crime Minister walked in, accompanied by the Professor and two of his assistants.

The Crime Minister stood in front of Dan, inspecting him. "Hm, not looking quite so perky today are we ?" she said, lifting his chin with her forefinger. Her long fingernail dug into his flesh. It scratched him when she let go. "So, Professor, what tests have you completed so far ?" asked the Crime Minister.

The Professor looked very nervous, reporting back to the Crime Minister. "Yes, well, we tested a slightly different formulation of the hypnotic gas and we managed to make the effects last about 20 minutes longer. That was very good," he said.

"I'll decide whether it's good or not Professor," said the Crime Minister coldly. The Professor, abruptly stopped talking. "Continue !" ordered the Crime Minister.

"Erm, yes, then we tested the immobilising nerve gas and its effects also lasted for longer, although it appeared to create more side effects," he said, sounding flustered.

"Side effects ! Professor, I'm not interested in side effects. I don't care about side effects. I just want helpless MI9 agents lying on the floor at my feet !" shouted the Crime Minister. The Professor cringed in front of her. She stopped suddenly, looking at Dan's bare torso. "Professor, how exactly did you apply the new formula ?" she asked, suspiciously.

"We sprayed it on to the skin as usual," said the Professor. The Crime Minister pointed at Dan's chest. "Yes, on the chest," said the Professor, obviously confused by her anger.

"Professor," said the Crime Minister, looming over the shorter man. He seemed to cringe even lower and backed away from her in fear. "Professor, how often do you think MI9 strip to their waists before they attack us ?" she asked with an evil smile.

"Erm, probably not at all," suggested the older man.

"No, never," said the Crime Minister quietly, but with steel in her voice. "Test it again Professor. ON HIS FACE !" she yelled. The Professor almost fell over backwards in his attempts to get back from her screaming face.

"Yes, yes, of course. Straight away Crime Minister," he grovelled.

The Crime Minister spun around and clicked her fingers at Zoe. "Bring her !" she ordered, before turning on her heels and marching out of the room. Zoe was untied and pulled after her. The Professor and his assistants turned and looked at Dan. Dan swallowed hard. He wasn't going to like this.


	10. Chapter 10

_The Crime Minister spun around and clicked her fingers at Zoe. "Bring her !" she ordered, before turning on her heels and marching out of the room. Zoe was untied and pulled after her. The Professor and his assistants turned and looked at Dan. Dan swallowed hard. He wasn't going to like this._

Zoe was taken through a series of tunnels to another room, laid out with chairs and tables. She was told to sit in a chair and KORPS agents started wiring her up to different monitors. "What are you doing ?" she demanded angrily.

"We need to make sure you are in tip-top condition before we transfer the Mastermind's consciousness," explained the Crime Minister. "We have the new fuel for our mini-reactor and we should be ready to carry out the operation in a week. I want you ready."

Zoe pulled some of the leads off her body. "I'm not doing it ! I don't care what you do. I'm not doing it !" she shouted angrily.

The Crime Minister turned slowly and looked down on her. "V95 you will do what you are told," she ordered grimly.

"I will not !" replied Zoe with a determined look on her face.

"You want to see your boyfriend die do you ?" she asked incredulously. "I thought you were expressing your undying love for one another earlier," she said, examining her nails carelessly.

"You don't know anything about love !" Zoe spat at her. "You've never loved anyone !"

The Crime Minister turned on her in fury. "You know nothing about me !" she shouted. Instantly she pulled herself back, regaining control. "When I said you could watch your boyfriend die, I didn't necessarily mean quickly," she said slyly. "Perhaps you should come and watch a while." The Crime Minister clicked her fingers at the KORPS agents and Zoe was pulled out of her chair and dragged out of the door, the Crime Minister following with an evil smile on her face.

Zoe was pulled into the laboratory room to the surprise of the Professor, his assistants and Dan. She was pushed down into a chair at the side of the room and her hands and feet tied. Dan was standing in the middle of the room again, wearing dark blue overalls this time and looking nervous. He looked round at his audience and wondered what was going to happen.

"Crime Minister !" said the Professor nervously. "Did you want something ?" he asked, waving his hand at her.

"I simply wish to watch the experiment Professor. So does V95. She's simply dying to see what happens," she said smiling at Zoe. Zoe glared back, but not with as much confidence as before.

"Oh, very well," said the Professor, his voice pitched a notch higher than usual with nerves. "Erm, proceed please," he called to his assistant. The assistant walked towards Dan wearing a full face mask and coverall. They were holding a garden spray canister in their hand. Without warning they sprayed a mist directly in his face from only a few inches away.

Dan felt the sting of the liquid hitting his eyes. He cried out and lifted his hands to try to wipe the stuff off his face. His hands never made it above waist height as the strength left his body once again and the floor came up to meet his face. Once again he lay unable to move, only this time his open eyes stung in agony. His chest hurt and he was struggling to breathe. The torture seemed to be interminable. He could hear the Professor and his assistants moving about him as usual, but could not decipher what they were saying.

Zoe watched in utter horror as Dan fell to the floor. She could see his agony in his eyes and hear his desperate wheezing breaths as he lay helpless and unmoving. "That seemed to have the desired effect Professor," said the Crime Minister approvingly. "We'll stay a little while longer," she said, looking across at Zoe's horrified face.

Zoe watched the Professor's team taking readings of Dan's vital signs and noted an anxious tone in the Professor's voice. "This is taking a while," he muttered. "Bring some oxygen," he instructed one of his assistants. The woman brought over an oxygen cylinder attached to a breathing mask. She put the mask over Dan's face. The Professor kept waving his finger in front of Dan's face. "Hm, he is still not able to focus," he commented. After a while, Dan was able to move his hands and feet. Finally they pulled him up into a sitting position and the breathing mask was removed. He whimpered and rubbed his face with his hands. He said something which Zoe couldn't hear.

"What did he say ?" demanded the Crime Minister.

"He says he can't see," reported the Professor. "It seems he is temporarily blinded," he added, looking back worriedly at Dan.

"Temporarily ?" queried the Crime Minister.

"Well, that is to say, he is blind. At the moment," clarified the Professor.

Dan remained slumped over on the floor, still wheezing and coughing slightly. "I think we will do too much damage if we continue testing," said the Professor. "Do you want us to stop for now ?" he asked the Crime Minister.

"That is up to V95," said the Crime Minister coldly. "Well, V95, should they continue ?" she asked.

"No. They should stop now," said Zoe quietly.

"Does this mean you will cooperate ?" asked the Crime Minister.

"Yes, I'll do what you want," said Zoe in a defeated voice. She looked anxiously at Dan, as she was led from the room. Her last view was of him sitting on the floor, with red, frightened eyes staring blankly ahead.

"Return him to the cell," she heard the Professor say just before the door closed behind her.

While Dan was being pushed back into his cell, a large group of MI9 agents had gathered around the tunnel entrance. There was a strong acrid smell in the air. "We're nearly through," reported an agent wearing a full overall and breathing mask. Frank nodded to them and walked back to the others. Edward, Oscar, Ilya, Carrie, Aneisha and Tom were standing in full protective suits and were carrying gas masks which completely covered their faces when they were on. Tom looked incredibly nervous. He handed his ground penetrating radar to Frank.

"Frank, can you look after this for me ?" he asked. Frank took it.

"You'd better get ready," said Frank. "Good luck everyone," he added. They all put on their masks and pulled the hoods of their suits up over the rest of their heads. Edward reached over and squeezed Frank's shoulder.

"We'll get them back Frank," Edward promised. He beckoned to the others and they lined up in two columns at the entrance. Finally the lead technician pushed through the last of the rock and waved them forward.

"We have the team at the main entrance ready," said Rose's voice in their earpieces.

"Anything from Stella yet ?" asked Frank.

"No. The KORPS agent isn't talking," said Rose.

Frank watched as the six agents switched on their torches and ran through the gap in the rocks, before disappearing from sight.


	11. Chapter 11

"_Anything from Stella yet ?" asked Frank._

"_No. The KORPS agent isn't talking," said Rose. _

_Frank watched as the six agents switched on their torches and ran through the gap in the rocks, before disappearing from sight. _

The team ran into the tunnel, their head torches making bobbing motions up and down in front of them. Oscar felt the familiar dread settling over him as he ran through the dark, dank, claustrophobic tunnels. It was being surrounded by his team which kept him going in these situations. He had never really got over his fear of the dark even after all these years of sneaking around SKUL and KORPS underground bases. Why these people always wanted to live underground was a mystery to him. As if reading his mind, Carrie reached across and squeezed his arm. Knowing she couldn't see him, he turned and smiled at her anyway.

They seemed to be running for ages. Oscar checked his watch and saw that they had been jogging through the empty tunnels for over five minutes. Surely they would be approaching some usable tunnels by this time. Finally he saw a glow of light up ahead. Edward signalled for them to slow down as they approached a junction into a tunnel with lighting. They divided between the two walls of the tunnel as they reached the intersection. Oscar glanced around and saw that Tom was puffing heavily inside his suit. He wasn't as physically conditioned as the others. Aneisha seemed to be holding up a lot better. He guessed that as the team's technical expert, Tom didn't spend as much time in the field.

Edward had been peering round the corner into the lit tunnel and signalled that someone was approaching. They all pressed up against one wall. When the KORPS operative came level with them, Edward and Ilya leapt out and grabbed the surprised agent and with Ilya's hand over their mouth, pulled them into the tunnel. The agent looked around at the suited team, looking frightened. Edward put his face up against the enemy agent's face and spoke to him. "Do you know where the MI9 agents are being held ?" he demanded. The KORPS agent nodded, his arms still pinned behind his back by Ilya. "Can you take us to them ?" asked Edward. The KORPS agent frowned, obviously confused. Edward nodded to Ilya to remove his hand. "What's the problem ?" asked Edward.

"They are in different places," explained the KORPS agent.

"Where are they ?" asked Edward.

"The girl is in central being assessed and the boy is in the cells," explained the man.

"Which is closest ?" asked Edward.

"Central," replied the agent. Edward looked at the others.

"I don't want to split the team. We'll go for Zoe first," he said. "Be ready for attack. We're going to encounter other KORPS agents. Try to stop them raising the alarm," he instructed. The others nodded tensely. Edward glanced uncertainly at Tom who was visibly shaking. "Go !" he ordered the KORPS agent. Ilya pushed the man out into the corridor and the agent nodded to indicate which direction to take. The rest of the team followed, Ilya and Edward in the lead, Oscar and Carrie watching the rear. Aneisha and Tom were sandwiched in the middle.

It only took a minute to reach the end of their tunnel and arrive at a junction between multiple tunnels. The KORPS man nodded towards one of the tunnels. Edward leaned in close and whispered in his ear. The man was looking sweaty and nervous. After only a few seconds they encountered their first KORPS agents. A man and woman turned the corner and came up behind them. Too shocked to react, they were easily knocked out by Carrie and Oscar, who dragged their unconscious bodies further round the corner and laid them up against the wall. The others had started jogging down the tunnel ahead and Oscar and Carrie ran to catch up.

At the end of the tunnel they entered a large room where they saw Zoe strapped in a chair, attached to a variety of monitoring equipment. It looked as though they were giving her a medical. The two people with her jumped in alarm when they saw the MI9 agents entering the room. One of them ran to a button on the wall. Before Carrie could get to her, she had pressed the button and an alarm started to blare out. They could hear its echoes throughout the tunnels around them. Carrie and Oscar again knocked out the KORPS agents while Tom and Aneisha rushed to free Zoe.

"Dan's locked in a cell. He's hurt !" blurted out Zoe.

"Can you show us the way ?" asked Edward.

"I think so," said Zoe. Ilya promptly knocked out their captured KORPS agent. Edward looked at Ilya.

"He was getting heavy," complained Ilya. Edward shrugged and they followed Zoe to the entrance. She ran down the corridor and they had to run to keep up with her.

"Hey, slow down a bit Zoe. We're going to run into trouble soon !" called out Aneisha. Zoe glanced back at Aneisha. Worry and guilt were written all over her face. Sure enough, KORPS agents started to appear from all angles. They reached the cross-road of tunnels after a minute and swarms of KORPS agents started to appear from all angles. The whole team had to stand back-to-back and fight them off. Zoe was furiously kicking and gouging at the attacking KORPS people. One of the KORPS agents threw a gas grenade which exploded in the air. Unfortunately for KORPS, the MI9 agents were wearing protective clothing and the casualties were all KORPS agents, with one exception. Zoe slumped to the ground, unable to move.

"Now we can't find Dan !" shouted Aneisha. "How are we going to find him ?"

"We're not now. We're going to have to get out," replied Edward grimly. "Ilya, get Zoe will you ?" he asked. Ilya bent down, picked up Zoe and slung her over his shoulder. More KORPS agents were coming down the corridors towards them. "Head back for our tunnel !" shouted Edward. They ran towards the tunnel they had come through.

Tom became confused, trying to remember which tunnel he was looking for. When all the team dashed for the tunnel they had come in through, he headed for a different one. He was instantly cut off from the team by a group of KORPS agents. He fought as hard as he could, but was soon captured and dragged away from the rest of the team. "Aneisha ! Help !" he shouted, but was soon pulled away down the corridor leaving the others behind.

"Tom !" shouted Aneisha in panic. "Edward, he's not a fighter ! We need to help him !" she said desperately.

Edward shook his head. "Sorry Aneisha. We have to go now. Otherwise we're going to lose the whole team. Retreat everyone. Back to the entrance !" ordered Edward. With tears in her eyes, Aneisha reluctantly ran with the others. It seemed much further this time. As Ilya tired carrying Zoe, Oscar took her off his shoulder. Finally they ran out into the fresh air of the entrance. There were a series of dull booms behind them and dust rushed out of the tunnel entrance behind them. Carrie pointed to an area of heather and scrub about fifty yards away as it collapsed down.

"They've brought the tunnel down !" she said. "We're not going to get in that way again," she exclaimed in frustration. "Oh man, what a mare !" she complained, throwing her gas mask to the ground and putting her hands on her hips. Oscar carefully lowered Zoe's body to the ground. Frank and one of the other MI9 agents went to check her over. Gradually she recovered and started to cry.

"We've lost him !" she said to Frank.

"We've lost both of them," said Aneisha bitterly. Zoe looked at her in confusion.

"They took Tom as well," said Aneisha.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," whispered Zoe. "What are we going to do ?"

"We're going to think of a way to get them both back !" said Edward emphatically.

"How are we going to get back in ?" asked Aneisha.

Frank touched his earpiece. "Rose, what's the situation with the main entrance ?" he asked.

"It's under heavy guard now," reported Rose's voice. "It looks like they've sent for reinforcements too. More KORPS people have turned up in vans. You're not going to get in that way," she said.

They all looked at one another. "We've got to do something "! said Aneisha.


	12. Chapter 12

**An extra long chapter. Enjoy.**

_Frank touched his earpiece. "Stella, what's the situation with the main entrance ?" he asked._

"_It's under heavy guard now," reported Stella's voice. "It looks like they've sent for reinforcements too. More KORPS people have turned up in vans. You're not going to get in that way," she said._

_They all looked at one another. "We've got to do something "! said Aneisha. _

Tom was dragged through underground corridors until arriving at some cells. His protective suit, gas mask and equipment were all stripped from him. The door to a cell was opened and he was thrust inside. Shaking with fear, he looked around him and immediately saw Dan sitting with his face in his hands in the cell next to his.

"Dan ! Are you alright ?" asked Tom.

"Tom ? What are you doing here ?" asked Dan. His voice sounded husky to Tom and he seemed to be gazing in Tom's general direction, but not into his face. His eyes looked red and sore.

"Dan, what's happened to you ?" asked Tom warily.

Dan sighed. "They tested one of their gases by spraying it in my face and it's hurt my eyes. I can't see all that well at the moment," said Dan quietly, looking down at his hands. Tom was aghast. "Where's Zoe ? Did you get her out ?" asked Dan hopefully.

"I think so. The others managed to get out I think. I'm sorry we didn't manage to get you," said Tom. He sat down on the bed in his cell and reached through to Dan, taking his hand. "They'll come back for us, I'm sure of it," he said. He was trying to convince himself as much as Dan. In truth he was terrified, but seeing Dan helpless like this made him want to at least keep up the appearance of coping.

There was a clacking of shoes coming down the corridor towards them. Tom swallowed nervously and wondered what was going to happen next. The Crime Minister stamped into the room, followed by the Professor and several KORPS agents. "So, your friends didn't bother coming for you," she snarled at Dan. Dan didn't rise to the bait. Tom desperately wanted to, but he also kept quiet. There was no point in giving this woman more ammunition to attack them with. "We will get V95 back. Meanwhile, we have to decide what to do with these boys !" she spat. "What about this one ?" she demanded, pointing to Dan.

"Well, he is really not strong enough at the moment," said the Professor hesitantly.

"It doesn't matter if you kill him Professor," said the Crime Minister. "V95 is gone. For now at least," she added coldly. Tom wanted to punch her face. She talked about Dan as if he were just an object to be used.

"Well, that is excellent of course, but we need a healthy test subject in order to accurately assess the results on real enemy agents," explained the Professor. "Otherwise it might not be as strong as we thought."

The Crime Minister considered this. "Very well. Take this one," she said, pointing at Tom.

"No !" said Dan standing up, but she was already turning on her heels and leaving the room.

Two KORPS agents opened the door to Tom's cell, grabbed him and dragged him out. When they had gone, the Professor turned to Dan and sighed. "I am sorry. If there was something I could do, I would," he said quietly, before also turning and leaving. Dan sank back on to his bed and put his head back in his hands.

Outside on the moors, Frank was thinking quickly. "We need another route in, and quickly. Now that we have Zoe, they're not going to waste much time on Dan and Tom," he said. "Ideas anyone ?" he asked, a hint of desperation in his voice.

Rose's voice came over their headsets. "If you find another tunnel near the surface, you could break through from above and get in that way," she suggested. "I've looked at the maps. There are a couple of possible points where you could get in," she added.

"That's a possibility," said Edward. "What do we do, just pour acid all over it or something ?"

"Yes, if the rock's thin enough, you could just pour it on and it would break through," said Rose.

"Can you tell if it's thin enough from the maps ?" asked Frank, sounding doubtful.

"No, not really. I can only make a suggestion," said Rose.

"What about Tom's Ground Radar thingy ?" asked Aneisha. "He used it to work out how thick the rocks were," she said.

Frank grabbed Tom's radar. "Genius Aneisha !" he exclaimed. "Rose, give us a couple of spots and I'll use the radar to work out if the rock is thin enough," he asked. Rose gave him two sets of coordinates and Frank dashed off to the first. The rock was too thick. Disappointed he set off for the second. This time he struck lucky. "Team ! I've got an entry point. Rose can you work out how we get around the underground tunnels from here please ?" asked Frank. "Everyone else. Bring the acid over here quickly !" he ordered.

Everyone grabbed drums of acid and other equipment and set off as quickly as possible for Frank's position. The MI9 agents who had been working on breaking in were obviously tired from working all night, but they seemed to have gained some energy from the adrenalin rush of trying to save their lost agents. Frank made everyone stand back while the technical team started pouring acid where Frank had indicated. Edward and the others started to gear up again to go back into the KORPS base.

Zoe talked to Rose about what she knew of the base and how to get to the cells from their original entry point. Rose used this information to work out on her tunnel map where the cells might be. "Zoe, we can't let you go back in," said Frank. "If we lose you again, we're back to square one. This mission is to recover Tom and Dan," he added. He looked searchingly at Zoe.

"Alright Frank. I understand," she said. "I want them back too," she tailed off. Frank pulled her into a tight hug.

"We're going to get them back Zoe. You've got to believe. I'm sorry you can't help, but it's for everyone's benefit this time, OK ?" he said quietly. She nodded miserably.

Edward's team and Aneisha were standing in readiness, a short distance from where the acid was being deployed. Even from here they could smell the fumes rising off the acid attacking the rocks below. "You OK Aneisha ?" Carrie asked her.

Aneisha looked up in surprise. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said. She looked into the older girl's eyes and saw her concern. "Yeah, I like him," she admitted quietly. Carrie smiled.

"I know. We'll get them both," she promised. "We're good aren't we ?"

"Oh yeah. We're good," said Aneisha, pushing a taser into her coverall pocket with determination. One of the technicians waved them over.

"Nearly through I reckon," he said. "Have you got gloves ? There could be acid on the rocks," he warned. Frank quickly handed out gloves. Suddenly the technical team had to jump back as the ground gave way beneath them. Edward shone a large flashlight down to see how deep the hole was. While he was looking Carrie dropped past him. She'd had a quick look and jumped.

"It's fine !" she called back up.

"Carrie !" complained Edward. With grins, Oscar and then Ilya also jumped down the hole. Aneisha took a deep breath and followed them. Edward looked at Frank and rolled his eyes, before doing the same.

"Rose said this way," said Ilya, gesturing down the tunnel. They all ran in that direction.

Oscar didn't feel quite so frightened this time around even though the tunnel was just as dark and even smaller than the last one. He guessed the determination to get the two boys back was keeping his mind off things. Eventually they reached a junction and turned left. After another lengthy jog they saw lights ahead. It was another dimly lit tunnel like the previous one they had encountered. "OK, said Edward. Here's what we do. Aneisha and I are going to keep this escape route open. Oscar, Carrie and Ilya, I want you to go to the cells and get the two boys and get them back here. If you run into trouble, whistle loudly OK ?" he ordered. The three agents nodded. "OK, go !" he whispered. After checking the coast was clear the three agents sprinted off down the corridor and out of sight. Edward looked at Aneisha and she nodded tensely.

Oscar, Carrie and Ilya managed to get some distance before encountering any KORPS agents. Luckily their first encounter was with a single agent and Carrie and Oscar swiftly knocked him out, tied him up and shoved him into a dark side tunnel. Rose's directions to the cells proved to be accurate and they soon arrived in the outer room where they had to put two guards out of action.

Oscar was surprised to see Dan sitting quietly on his bed, unmoving as he unlocked the cell door. "Dan ? Are you OK ?" he asked curiously.

"Oscar !" exclaimed Dan, his face brightening. "It's you !"

"Yes, of course," said Oscar, puzzled. "Are you OK ?" he asked again.

"I'm alright," said Dan, hesitantly.

"Where's Tom ?" asked Oscar.

"They took him to the laboratory to experiment on him with the gases," said Dan. "You've got to get him out of there !" he exclaimed.

"OK. Can you take us there ?" asked Oscar.

"Erm, I think so," said Dan, doubtfully.

"What's the matter. Have you forgotten the way ?" asked Ilya.

Dan glanced over towards him in surprise. "No, it's just that I can't see all that well at the moment," explained Dan. "They sprayed some gas in my face and it hurt my eyes," he explained, clearly frustrated.

Oscar, Carrie and Ilya looked at one another in anger. "OK, we will help you," promised Ilya, going into the cell and taking Dan's arm. He led him to the tunnel entrance. "This is the entrance," he explained. "Straight ahead here ?" he asked.

"Yes. We go to the first crossing," said Dan, struggling to remember, "Then we turn to the right !" he remembered. They all set off at a slow jog, with Oscar in front of Ilya and Dan and Carrie behind. Ilya noticed that Dan was getting out of breath quickly as they jogged. He guessed that Dan's eyes hadn't been the only thing damaged by the KORPS experiments. When they reached the crossing, the coast was clear and they turned to the right. It didn't take them long to get to the laboratory. As the four of them burst into the room, the Professor and his assistant looked round in shock, but did nothing to raise the alarm.

"Professor Lubyanka !" said Ilya in surprise, leaving Dan by the side of the room. "What are you doing here ?" he asked in Russian.

"Young man, I don't remember your name, I could ask you the same thing," said the Professor in equal surprise. "Our research was closed down. These people offered to provide funding for further research but it has become a great burden to me. They have no care for the damage these weapons can do," he complained. "And you ?" he asked.

"I work for MI9 now. Long story," said Ilya, glancing over at Oscar who smiled at him. "We need to free the boy, Tom. Where is he ?" he asked.

The Professor pointed to Tom's body on the examination couch. He was sleeping. "We used the anaesthetic gas, but not as much this time," he said. "You are going to need our help," he said.

"Why ?" asked Ilya.

"You cannot carry them both," said the Professor, pointing to Dan, who had collapsed on the floor, breathing in gasps of air. Oscar ran to Dan, and gently rolled him on to his side. "Ekaterina, do you wish to come with me ?" he asked his assistant. She nodded and ran to the corner of the room, bringing back a stretcher.

"They must make sure we appear to be forced to do this," said the woman. "I cannot stand another day with that witch woman !" she said.

"OK, could someone please translate ?" begged Carrie. "Some of us don't speak Russian you know !" she complained.

"They are Russians," said Ilya. "They're going to help us," he added. This was all Carrie needed to know.

They untied Tom and loaded him on to the stretcher, which the Professor and Ekaterina picked up. Oscar pulled his taser and pointed it at them. Ilya picked up Dan and slung his arm over his shoulder. "Come, we have to hurry !" he said.


	13. Chapter 13

_They untied Tom and loaded him on to the stretcher, which the Professor and Ekaterina picked up. Oscar pulled his taser and pointed it at them. Ilya picked up Dan and slung his arm over his shoulder. "Come, we have to hurry !" he said._

Ilya jogged along at the front as quickly as he could with Dan wheezing beside him. Oscar followed the Professor and Ekaterina, with his taser in clear sight for everyone to see. Of course, he had no intention of tasering the two researchers. At the next junction they ran into two KORPS agents. Ilya managed to kick one down and Carrie tasered them both before they could raise the alarm. "Run !" hissed Oscar. They set off again as quickly as they could. Suddenly, the blaring of the alarm filled the air again. "They've found them !" called Oscar. "We have to get to the others quickly," he said.

Four KORPS agents ran at them. Ilya had to put Dan down, leaning against the tunnel wall while he and Carrie took on the KORPS guards. After a minute Oscar had to join in to help them. Eventually they had incapacitated all of the KORPS guards and resumed their journey. Dan was getting steadily weaker and eventually, Oscar had to help Ilya support him. When they reached Edward and Aneisha, they had a small heap of unconscious KORPS guards lying at their feet. "Good effort !" said Carrie, smiling at Aneisha. Aneisha's return smile was wiped off her face when she saw the unconscious Tom and struggling Dan.

They all set off down the dark tunnel, with Aneisha leading, followed by Ilya and Oscar practically carrying Dan now, then the Professor and Katerina with Tom and finally Edward and Carrie guarding the rear. They had to taser a couple of KORPS thugs who started gaining on them. Luckily they had the advantage in the dark because the KORPS agents weren't equipped with torches. After an exhausting chase, they arrived at the hole into the tunnel. Frank had lowered rope ladders for them to climb up. Ropes were lowered and Tom's stretcher was hauled out. Dan's legs had finally given way and they had to lift him out tied to a board. The others followed quickly. Frank wondered for a moment how they were going to get away in safety when he saw two helicopters flying their way.

"Frank, I've sent transport !" said Stella's voice in his earpiece. Frank had never been so grateful to her. Soon everyone was safely loaded on to the helicopters and Tom and Dan were receiving medical attention. Zoe and Aneisha sat hugging one another all the way back to the MI9 medical facility where they got off.

Zoe returned to the waiting room to sit with Frank and Aneisha after having a medical check-up. She sat wearily with them, staring at the blank wall opposite. "They're never going to give up are they ?" she asked nobody in particular.

"No, I'm afraid they're not," said Frank. "Sorry Zoe, but unless something happens to the Mastermind, they're going to carry on trying to get you back."

"You're all in danger if I stay with MI High," said Zoe.

"Zoe, we're all in danger so long as we stay in MI High," said Aneisha. "There's always going to be something. It's just that this time, you were the something. Next time, it'll be something else."

A doctor came out to tell them they could see Tom and Dan so they leapt up and followed him to the boys' room. Tom was lying in bed, looking a little dopey but otherwise unhurt. Dan was lying in bed with his eyes bandaged over. "Tom's doing well. He should be able to go home tomorrow all being well," said the doctor. "We've started some treatment for Dan's lungs and his eyes, but because we don't yet know the chemical composition of the liquid which was sprayed into his face, we don't know how well this is going to work," he explained.

"We'll get that information for you," promised Frank.

"Thanks, that would be a great help," said the doctor. "I'll leave you to catch up," he said and left the room.

Aneisha went up to Tom and gave him a kiss. This brought out a huge blush, but no complaints. Zoe walked over to Dan and kissed his cheek. She wasn't sure if he was awake, but he moved the instant her lips touched his face. "Zoe ?" he asked. His voice sounded a little husky.

"Yes, it's me. Frank and Aneisha are here too. Do you know Tom's in the next bed ?" she asked, suddenly realising that Dan might not know what was going on.

"Yes, I heard Tom waking up," said Dan. "He threw up," he said grinning.

"I heard that," complained Tom.

"It's OK. I threw up too," said Dan with a laugh. This made him start to cough. Zoe looked at Frank worriedly, but after a few seconds the coughing subsided. It was late now, so they said goodnight and left the two boys to rest.

The nurses came in to make their final checks and help Dan to the toilet before pulling up the bars alongside his bed and putting the call button into his hands in case he needed anything. They were both tired after a difficult day and fell asleep quickly. Dan woke with a start and wondered why it was so dark. Then he felt his face and remembered the bandages. Someone was crying and calling out. It was Tom. "No ! No ! Please don't !" he cried out. He sounded terrified. Dan realised he must be having a nightmare.

Dan sat up and tried to swing his legs out of the bed. They banged into the metal bars. Cursing the bars, he managed to climb over them and out of the bed. With outstretched arms he walked slowly in the direction of Tom's voice. His fingers felt soft blankets and he felt his way along until he found Tom's arm. He shook his friend's shoulder and called to him softly. "Tom ! Hey Tom wake up ! It's OK, it's only a bad dream," he said.

"No !" screamed Tom.

"Tom, it's a dream," said Dan a little louder. Tom's hand suddenly slapped him across the face, hitting some old bruises. "Ouch ! Tom !"

"Wha' ? Who ? Oh, oh, Dan. What's wrong with you ?" asked Tom, clearly confused.

"You're in the hospital Tom. It's all OK now. You're safe. You were just having a bad dream," explained Dan gently, feeling the now stinging side of his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I wake you up ?" asked Tom. He sounded shaken. Dan was frustrated that he couldn't see Tom's face. Dan took his friend's hand.

"It doesn't matter. Are you OK now ?" Dan asked, before coughing hoarsely. He had to let go of Tom's hand as the coughing fit took over and he had to lean on the side of the bed.

"Dan ? Hang on, I'll call the nurses," said Tom.

A nurse came in. "What are you doing out of bed ?" she asked. Dan was still catching his breath and couldn't answer.

"I woke him up because I was having a nightmare and he got up to wake me," explained Tom.

"He should have called us," said the nurse, taking Dan's arm and guiding him back to his bed. She lowered the bars on the side and helped him get back in, before putting the bars back. The nurse raised the bed so that Dan was sitting up a little trying to get his breath back. She handed him a drink of water to sip.

"Thanks," said Dan, holding the cup out for her to take back. He was shattered now and fell asleep before the nurse had resettled Tom and left the room.

The next day Tom was allowed to go home and Dan then felt quite lonely. The doctors tried another therapy for his breathing, but it made him feel worse. Dan was curled up in bed trying to ignore the tightening of his chest every time he took a breath when the door to his room opened and several people came in. He felt a hand on his arm and then heard Frank's voice. Frank spoke very gently to him, as if he thought he was really ill or something.

"Dan, I've brought Professor Lubyanka and his assistant Ekaterina with me. They want to help make you better. They know much more about the chemical formulae they used and think they can help you. Is that alright with you ? They don't want to hurt you. They want to make you better," Frank promised.

The Professor spoke. "I am very sorry that our gasses have made you so sick," he said. "I would like to help get you well, if you will forgive me and let me help."

The sound of the Professor's voice made Dan tense at first, but he did sound very different away from the Crime Minister. Dan felt Frank's hand squeezing his arm. He nodded and said, "OK." It came out as a hoarse whisper. He hated the way he sounded. It was feeble.

"Thankyou. We will start work straight away," the Professor said. Dan heard them leave and assumed that everyone had gone when he heard Frank's voice again.

"It's going to be OK Dan. The Professor has some ideas of how to counteract the effects of the gas. When he's got you breathing comfortably again, he's going to sort out your eyesight," Frank promised.

"Is Tom OK now ?" Dan asked. "He was really scared. He's not used to this sort of thing."

"He's fine physically, but I'll be keeping an eye on him for a while. I expect Aneisha will too," said Frank with a smile that Dan couldn't see. Dan smiled as well.

"Yeah, she's good at looking after Tom isn't she ?" he asked.

"Yes, well so are you Dan. I heard about last night," said Frank.

"Is Zoe OK ?" asked Dan. "I thought she might be, you know, blaming herself for all this stuff. She usually does."

"I think Aneisha and I have managed to talk her out of the worst of it," Frank assured him. "She's been going on at me to let her visit you. I was worried that she would get too upset and then upset you too. I'm sorry I'm only second best."

"No, I'm glad you're here," said Dan. "It's a bit lonely on my own."

The door opened and a nurse told them they were taking Dan to a treatment room. His bed was wheeled along some corridors and into a different room. The Professor spoke to him. "Daniel, we have a formula which you are going to breathe in slowly. It shouldn't hurt, but it might make you feel a little light-headed. Are you ready ? We will connect some monitors to make sure everything is going well." Dan nodded, feeling nervous.

"Would you like me to stay Dan ?" asked Frank.

"Yes please," said Dan. Dan felt stickers being put on his chest and a strap round his arm to measure blood pressure. Finally a breathing mask was put over his face.

"Ekaterina, we are ready ?" asked the Professor. "Good, we will begin," he said. Dan heard a faint hissing noise and noticed a funny taste in his mouth. Nothing seemed to be happening. Then he started to feel strange. He felt as though he was floating, dizzily in the air. He put out a hand to hold on to the side of the bed and felt a cold stethoscope being put on his chest. When he flinched, the Professor said, "I am sorry, it is a little cold. I think we are making progress. You are breathing a little better already I think. Blood pressure ?" he asked.

"Falling very well," said Ekaterina.

"Good, I think that has been a success. We will stop now," said the Professor. The breathing mask was removed and Dan lay on the bed feeling relaxed and dreamy. "I think we should let you sleep it off now yes ?" asked the Professor. "I will look at your eyes before you go," he said. Dan barely noticed the dressing being taken off his face. The professor lifted his eyelids and he heard faint clicking noises and mutterings from the Professor. "Hm, yes. I think I know what we need to do," he said. "You have a good sleep young man and we will work on something for your eyes," he promised.


	14. Chapter 14

"_Good, I think that has been a success. We will stop now," said the Professor. The breathing mask was removed and Dan lay on the bed feeling relaxed and dreamy. "I think we should let you sleep it off now yes ?" asked the Professor. "I will look at your eyes before you go," he said. Dan barely noticed the dressing being taken off his face. The professor lifted his eyelids and he heard faint clicking noises and mutterings from the Professor. "Hm, yes. I think I know what we need to do," he said. "You have a good sleep young man and we will work on something for your eyes," he promised._

Frank watched Dan being wheeled back to his room feeling much happier. They could hear his breathing was much more relaxed. It was really quite miraculous. He turned to the Professor and Ekaterina. "Thankyou," he said. He was quite surprised at how emotional he felt. It was never easy when any of his team was hurt, but for some reason, seeing the normally invincible Dan looking so ill had hit him hard.

"You do not need to thank us. We are glad to be able to put right our wrong," said Ekaterina. The Professor nodded happily in agreement. "This is good work. What we did was bad work."

"I think we will be able to make his eyesight better. I do not know yet how quickly," the Professor added. "We will do our best," he promised.

"Well, I'm very impressed with what you have done so far," said Frank. "I'll see you tomorrow."

As he walked out of the hospital wing, he bumped into Stella. She seemed to be hanging around. "How is it going ?" she asked him.

Frank grinned from ear to ear. "The Professor and Ekaterina came up with a treatment for Dan's lungs and it's worked wonders," he said. "He is so much better already. They're going to work on a treatment for his eyes next."

Stella smiled at him. "I'm glad," she said. "You looked pretty down yesterday. You do really care about them a lot don't you ?" she asked.

"Yes. They're good kids and I don't want to see them get hurt," said Frank. "I know we're supposed to care about everybody in the service, but they put everything into it and I worry about them," he admitted. To his surprise, Stella wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big hug.

"I worry about you," Stella said. "I'm pretty proud of you too." Frank glanced around and saw that they were being watched by quite a few curious medical staff. He cleared his throat and Stella glanced around them. "Mmm, well," she said, stroking a few stray hairs back into place and pulling back from Frank. "I'll see you tomorrow then ?"

Frank smiled happily back at her. "Rely on it !" he said. She couldn't help but give a smile back and they each went their separate ways.

The next day, Dan woke feeling better than he had for a while. He was hungry and it didn't hurt to breathe any more. The doctor's checked on him and said they were happy that the lung damage had been reversed. A little later the nurses got him to sit in a chair which they used to wheel him once again to a treatment room. The Professor and another doctor spent some time looking at his eyes with different devices, then he was asked to sit in a chair rather like a dentist's chair because it tilted backwards once he was in.

"So, the damage has been done by blocking the nerve from your eyes to your brain. The chemicals we used were nerve agents. What I would like to do is give you an injection and then I am going to put in some eye drops. Then we will cover your eyes for protection while these work. This evening we will take the bandages off and see how much improvement there is. Are you happy with this ?" asked the Professor. Dan swallowed nervously and nodded. "Good. First the injection please ?" said the Professor. Dan felt a sharp stab in his arm. "Now the drops," said the Professor. Dan felt his eyelids being held and then drops of liquid falling in. There were a lot and he wanted to blink. "Just relax. This will not hurt," the Professor promised. "Now ! All done. Close your eyes," he instructed Dan.

Dan did as he was told and fresh dressings were put on his eyes and bandaged over again. The chair tilted back upright again and he was helped into the wheelchair before being taken back to his room.

Dan sat alone in his room for a while before the door opened. He heard a group of people coming in. "Hey Dan. Looking good. They should give you some decent shades though !" said an unfamiliar voice.

"Ignore Ilya," said another voice. It was Oscar. Dan smiled at him. "Oh, I should introduce everyone. You didn't get to see them earlier, erm, well, you know what I mean," stumbled Oscar, wondering how he'd walked into that particular elephant trap.

Dan laughed. "It's OK. Who is everybody then ?" he asked.

"Oh, we're mostly Frank's old team, apart from Ilya. We picked him up along the way," said a woman's voice.

"Hey, I was not pick up !" complained Ilya.

"I'm Carrie, by the way," said the girl. "This is Rose," she added. Rose said a quiet hello. "You've met Oscar and you've heard plenty of Ilya. Me, Rose and Oscar used to be MI High," she explained. "We were Frank's team before you all joined."

"So you're all senior agents now ?" asked Dan. "What's that like ?" he asked.

"Hm, well, we do a lot more fighting I suppose," said Carrie. "That's my favourite. Oscar and Rose have to do more specialist stuff than they used to I guess. Ilya joined us after he tried to kill Oscar," she said.

"Hey !" complained Ilya again.

"He didn't try very hard," said Rose, obviously trying to smooth over the waters a little. Dan guessed that she was secretly quite fond of Ilya. If he could have seen the adoring look which Ilya gave Rose at that point, he would have known their feelings were shared.

"Yeah, we don't see quite as much of Oscar as we used to," said Carrie. If Dan hadn't been listening to her voice so carefully he might have missed the tone of disappointment in it. He guessed that Carrie liked Oscar a lot too. Maybe his wasn't the only team with couples developing. He wondered if it was being in MI High that brought them all closer together. It wasn't as if you could talk to anyone else about what you did.

After some general chat, they all said their goodbyes and left. Dan was pondering what they'd talked about when the door opened again. This time he heard much more familiar voices.

"Dan ! You're better !" said Zoe's delighted voice. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the lips. He was caught by surprise and because she had effectively pinned both his arms by his side, he couldn't do much more than give her a quick kiss back. Then he got a kiss on the cheek from Aneisha. This was followed by a hug from Tom. Tom wasn't a big hugger, so he knew it meant something coming from Tom, especially as he could feel Tom tremble.

"I'm really glad," said Tom. "You look loads better," he said.

"How about you ?" Dan asked him.

"Oh well. A better night last night," said Tom. It was obvious he didn't really want to talk about it in front of the others.

"Frank says the Professor has been helping," said Aneisha.

"Yes, he seems like he's actually quite a decent guy," said Dan. "He didn't seem too happy about what he was doing in the KORPS base."

They chatted about everything and nothing for a while before the door opened and Frank came in with a doctor, the Professor and Ekaterina. "Dan, the doctor is going to take off your bandages and see if there's been any improvement in your eyesight," said Frank.

Dan heard the blinds being closed as someone unwound the bandages round his face. As the dressings were removed he looked forward and at the end of his bed he could see Zoe's face. She looked scared. He suddenly realised that he could see her. The widest grin imaginable spread across his face. "Zoe ! I can see you !" he squeaked in excitement. With a squeal, Zoe ran round the bed and hugged him hard.

"That is excellent, but we do need to run a few tests," said the doctor gently.

"Oh, sorry," said Zoe, pulling away reluctantly.


	15. Chapter 15

_Dan heard the blinds being closed as someone unwound the bandages round his face. As the dressings were removed he looked forward and at the end of his bed he could see Zoe's face. She looked scared. He suddenly realised that he could see her. The widest grin imaginable spread across his face. "Zoe ! I can see you !" he squeaked in excitement. With a squeal, Zoe ran round the bed and hugged him hard._

"_That is excellent, but we do need to run a few tests," said the doctor gently. _

"_Oh, sorry," said Zoe, pulling away reluctantly._

A week after he was released from hospital, Dan got a call from Frank saying that the team were all being given a treat by Stella. He would be picked up in an MI9 car from home early that evening. He should dress smartly and be prepared for bright lights.

Puzzled about what was going on, Dan got dressed in his best shirt, jacket and trousers and put on the dark glasses which he still had to wear outdoors and when there were any bright lights. As promised a black MI9 van collected him at the agreed time. Sitting inside were Zoe, Aneisha, Tom, Oscar, Ilya and a man he didn't know.

When Dan looked at the other man in puzzlement, Oscar introduced him. "Dan, meet Edward Dixon-Halliday, our team leader, and erm, my Dad," he explained.

"Your Dad's a spy !" said Dan in astonishment. He saw the amused look on Edward's face and felt embarrassed. "Oh, sorry," he said quietly.

"Not a problem," said Edward, holding out his hand. "Call me Edward," he instructed Dan. "He calls me Dad," he said nodding towards Oscar. He then looked doubtfully at Ilya. "I'm not sure what he calls me," he said.

"I call you Sir, of course," said Ilya, with a particularly angelic look on his face.

"Aye, that'll be right !" said Edward wryly. This was soon followed by a big smile though. "We're just going to pick up Rose and Carrie, then we're all set," he said.

It was starting to get dark when they picked up Rose and Carrie. "Hey, Dan, you're looking cool !" said Carrie. Dan smiled at her slightly. Rose gave him a close look and then spoke while staring out of the window.

"It's getting dark. Getting difficult to see," she said to nobody in particular. Dan looked startled and then pushed his dark glasses up onto the top of his head. The others could all see that he was hugely relieved. Rose had noticed his anxiety and correctly guessed that he was worried his eyesight was fading again. Instead he was just wearing sunglasses in the dark. Ilya looked at Rose fondly. This girl was so clever, and also very kind.

At last Edward drove the van into an underground car park. Automatic doors closed behind them and he parked the van next to a line of other vehicles in a brightly lit car park. "Everybody out !" ordered Edward. They climbed out of the van, blinking. Dan squinted in the light and put his glasses back on his face. "This way !" instructed Edward. They followed him through some double doors and along a corridor. They could start to feel the beat of some music coming up through the floor.

Finally they reached a door which was guarded by a man with a hand-held computer device. "Dixon-Halliday," said Edward. The man consulted his device, glanced up and counted the others and then nodded to Edward. The door opened automatically, noise spilled out around them and they filed through. A short corridor lead them into a room with dark corners and a brightly lit dance floor. A DJ stood on a corner stage, playing music. Bright lights flashed and strobed. Dan could see why he'd been told to wear sunglasses.

"Team, and er, team !" said a happy voice. It was Frank, grinning happily. "Hello Edward !" he said. Edward shook his hand and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Where's Stella then ?" asked Edward.

"Right here," said Stella as she appeared at Frank's elbow. She had her hair down round her shoulders and was wearing a slinky black dress. "Nice to see you all. The bar is free, although, obviously age-appropriate," she said, smiling. "Have fun everyone. You're off duty tonight." She linked her arm through Frank's and they walked away, chatting comfortably with one another.

Dan looked at Tom. He turned to Zoe and Aneisha. "Why don't you find us a table and we'll get us some drinks ?" The two girls nodded. "What do you want ?" he asked. After getting the drinks orders Dan and Tom went over to the bar. "You still getting the nightmares ?" Dan asked Tom.

"Yeah," said Tom. "Not as many though. I think it's starting to wear off a bit now. You ?" he said.

"Same," said Dan. "Freaked me out a bit for a while, but I think it's getting a bit better now. Every time I woke up in the dark I thought I'd gone blind again. I woke up last night and realised it was dark. That's the first time," he explained.

"We'll get over it in the end," said Tom. "You've done loads more than me. I was worried I wouldn't handle it, but it's getting better." He paused thoughtfully, waiting for the bar staff to come over to them. "Aneisha's great isn't she ?" he said out of the blue. Dan looked at him in surprise.

"She's a really nice person," Dan said, thoughtfully. "You really like her don't you ?" he asked. Tom nodded. "Better ask her for a dance then hadn't you ?" he said.

"Yeah. You going to ask Zoe ?" asked Tom, looking at him sideways. It was harder to read Dan's face with the dark glasses on. Dan looked at him, pursing his lips.

"Dunno. Do you think these make me look mysterious ?" he asked.

"No, just a bit daft. I mean, it's dark isn't it ?" said Tom laughing. Dan was momentarily annoyed then he too couldn't help laughing.

"Yeah, it's a bit bloated pop star isn't it ?" he said wryly.

Tom patted him on the shoulder. "It's OK. We understand," he said, teasing Dan. Finally they got to order their drinks and carried them over to the table where the girls were sitting chatting with Carrie and Rose. They were joined in a minute by Oscar and Ilya who had also gone to get drinks. Taking advantage of everyone moving around to take their drinks, Ilya shot into a gap between Rose and Carrie so that he could talk to Rose. It was so blatant that Oscar and Carrie were left standing together with their mouths open.

"I guess we'll just stand here then," said Oscar, drily.

"Oh stuff that ! Let's have a dance !" said Carrie, putting her drink down on the table and grabbing Oscar's hand. Laughing, he put his drink down just before Carrie dragged him away from the table. Dan put his drink down next to Zoe's.

"Do you want to dance ?" Dan asked hesitantly. She smiled the biggest smile and got up. Holding hands, the two of them walked over to the busy dance floor and started dancing near to where Oscar and Carrie were bopping around. Tom looked nervously at Aneisha. Now or never.

"How are you doing now ?" asked Aneisha before he could say anything.

"Em, fine," said Tom.

"Really ?" asked Aneisha, looking at him searchingly.

"Really," said Tom, and before he thought about it too much he leant across and kissed Aneisha lightly on the lips. She looked at him in astonishment and he worried for a moment that he'd upset her.

Instead, Aneisha smiled and took his hand. "Come on, let's dance," she said. "We don't know when we'll get another chance." They both stood up and joined the others on the dance floor.

"Now, that is an excellent idea !" said Ilya to Rose.

"What, a dance ?" asked Rose hopefully. Instead, Ilya wrapped his arms around her and swept her up into a big kiss. At first Rose was stunned into immobility, but finding that she was enjoying the moment she started to return the kiss. The music which was playing ended as they stopped kissing and looked into one another's eyes.

"And now, the dance," said Ilya. Rose smiled happily at him and followed him onto the dance floor, joining the others on what had become their own piece of dance floor. After all, they'd earned it.

**The End**


End file.
